Belgian band CHANNEL ZERO is one of those bands that started out just about at the same time that I had a lull in my music interest, which is probably why I haven’t come across them before despite the fact that they have a history going back more than 20 years. They did have an extensive break though, following a handful of albums in the 1990’s, but marked their return to the scene with this album, “Feed ‘Em With a Brick”, which was released in 2011 through Roadrunner Records and then through Graviton Music Services the following year. If I managed to get the facts straight.
Personally I didn’t get the chance to inspect this album until relatively recently, and I’ll readily admit that this is a CD that charmed me on many levels. One of the main reasons, I guess, is that this is a band that explores a style and sound I used to love and treasure back when I was a young man many years ago. I think a brief summary of what this album is all about would be old school thrash metal, and if I should elaborate I’d say that this is a band that incorporate a strong set of details from the first generation of thrash metal into a sound that has a more contemporary sheen to it, but that the main aspects of their style makes it natural for me to place them inside an old school category.
Massive, dark toned riff barrages is the mainstay element throughout, which isn’t all that unusual for a metal band for rather obvious reasons, and in this case the majority of them makes me recall Metallica when they were still a vital band, and I guess I’d pinpoint the Cliff Burton of Metallica in particular. Not quite as bountiful are the escapades that have more of a hardcore tinge to them, although they are undeniably present and in a manner that makes me think of good, old Anthrax and, occasionally, of the more accessible side of Nuclear Assault.
Channel Zero’s take on this old school oriented form of thrash metal does incorporate sequences of a kind that neither of the above mentioned bands featured to any great extent though, which are circulating or fluctuating riff movements with more of a groove oriented sound. One might possibly point the finger at grunge when it comes to tendencies of that nature, and the same may arguably be the cause of the compelling and, within this specific context, the rather accessible overall sound of this production. This is thrash that doesn’t have too many rough edges. Not smooth enough to be polished, but the roughest edges I seem to recall from the metal bands of old isn’t an aspect here. Which may come down to modern day production possibilities more than anything else of course, but still a detail those who tend to salivate whenever old school thrash metal is mentioned should take note of.
There are some compositions that deviates from the norm here too. War Is Hell features sequences of a more sparse and possibly electronic flavored nature, electronic of the kind that makes me think of Ministry first and foremost, especially as there are rather powerful riff driven sequences in between. That the shouted but controlled lead vocals gives me associations long similar lines may be just as important as the music elements in this case though. Concluding track Ocean is another exception, with a sparse, bass driven passage that sounds like a twisted variety of blues as a recurring element amidst powerful, riff oriented runs.
It all adds up to a truly charming album as far as I’m concerned. Good quality, dark toned and intense thrash metal with plenty of old school touches to it and with what at least I experienced as solid nods towards Metallica and Anthrax in particular. A few tracks came across as slightly less inspired, although that is most likely more a question of taste than of quality per se, but all in all a production well worth inspecting of you tend to enjoy bands that explore or appear to be deeply inspired by thrash metal as it was back before or around 1990.
My rating: 75/100
