Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Soil consists of five talented musicians that are driven to create raw, aggressive noise. Exploding out of the underground of the Chicago music scene, they soon built a local following that continued to grow as word spread about their off-the-hook live performances. In 1998 the band recorded a full length album with producer Steve Albini. The album was independently released and SOiL began a tour that covered the US and Canada with bands like Incubus and Stuck Mojo. In the summer of 2000, they entered the studio with infamous producer Johnny K. (Disturbed, Machine Head) to record a three song demo. There were over 6000 demos given to Chicago fans and the buzz began to get louder, and the record companies began to listen. The single "Halo" got some radio airplay and the song was declared a hit. This ultimately led to Soil becoming the first artists to sign to Clive Davis' J Records. They went back into the studio with Johnny K to produce their label debut, which was released on September 11th.
Scars ignites from track one with "Breaking Me Down.". Metal infused, it features crushing bass and hardcore/rapcore lyrics with catchy insane hooks. This song just reached out through my headphones and paralyzed my ears. It was like the first time I heard Disturbed, Black Sabbath, Metallica, or Godsmack, the feeling is the same, but the music is completely unique. Next is the explosive "Halo", a song that is so heavy it's sick, yet its so addicting radio couldn't possibly deny it. This is a track originally found on the Johnny K-produced 3-song EP released in 2000. This is an amazing metal track that features catchy repeatable vocals, thrashy guitars and a vicious drumbeat. The third track, "Need to Feel" feels completely different, you can't call it a power ballad, its way to heavy but it has something poignant and groovy about it. The melody's are incredible and guitars scream with never ending adrenaline, in perfect synergy with drums and bass. The lead mid song is crystal clean and then it drops and it rushes off into banging your head again. The vocals supplied by talented frontman Ryan McCombs, are exemplary, running the gamut from rock and roll, groove infected rap, to a throat destroying scream. The song fades away and thrashes into the and the contrasting "Wide Open", one of the darker, more industrial tracks, but no less catchy then what I've seen thus far. The guitar work is ruthlessly heavy, the bass flows liquid concrete, and the song's punch comes from a mean double bass kick supplied by drummer, Tom Schofield.

Continuing the album is the eerie "Understanding Me", which does bear some resemblance to Monster Magnets style, but still holds its own with a gothic edge and the lyrics "Put me down/Without even speaking/Forever thinking/You couldn't understand". Next is the memorable "My Own" with its tribal drum core, and featuring excellent guitar work from Shaun Glass and Adam Zadel.

This is followed by my other favorite off Scars, "Unreal", which has a sound that is melodically aggressive, groove-oriented, and powerful. The lyrics are gripping; "Long before I could even see/You're what was missing/Twisting deep inside of me/Forever missing the glistening/I feel…..Unreal/". Rhythmic timing, grinding guitars, and brooding vocals appear on the vibrant Inside, followed by the evil and infectious "2 Skins".

The end of the album is punctuated by the melodic, hook-oriented rock ballad "The One", the aggressive rock driven "New Faith", a psycho bass line and super fast tempo in "Why", and then the finale with the powerful epic, "Black 7", a dance into the darkness of Soil's soul, a rambling melodic song with chilling poetic lyrics "Like a rapture waiting/to dine on the divine/it moves across me/and sets me free/Open oh so gently". A fitting end to a great CD, Scars is darkly provocative, a sultry slither into metal territory that somehow rises above its other nu-metal and rap core genres by incorporating a sick, dark, groove that stands alone.

Soil's 2001 J Records debut, "Scars," is a raw steel attack featuring brutal chords, dynamic tempo changes, breakdowns, and timing, solid musicianship and a vocalist with a pleasingly diverse range. The CD is 13 tracks of powerful, intense metal. It brings us a refreshingly raw new expression to the changing face of the genre. The drums are incredible, timing impeccable and the choruses so hook laden they are almost addicting. You might not want to listen to Soil more then once at a time, more then that and you risk the possibility of infection, even addiction.