By Mike Fordham
In the past, Chicago used to spawn great groups like Cheap Trick and the Smashing Pumpkins. Lately, though, the Windy City has unleashed several nu-metal groups upon the world, like Chevelle and Disturbed.
The most recent act to break out from Chi-town is Soil, with their new release Redefine. Although the grungy metallers are finally getting their commercial recognizance now, Soil’s been “bubbling under” the radar for some time. In 2001, the group had a minor hit with “Halo” (“I will stone you, stone you/my little halo”) that crept ever so slightly into modern rock radio. A slot on Ozzfest 2002 also helped Soil gain some steam.
After several delays, though, Redefine finally hits the shelves with the same grunge-flavored metal that Soil has shown on past releases. The album’s title is a bit questionable since the band does not exactly “redefine” what they do. Much of the disc mirrors tracks off of Soil’s 2001 album Scars. Vocalist Ryan McCombs’ agitated snarl is intact here, and he growls his way through the eleven-song set. His angry voice complements the heavy rock/metal that Soil performs, and seems a natural fit. In this age of incomprehensible screamers and whiny emo brats, hearing McCombs’ roar ensures that rebellious, pissed off rock ‘n’ rollers still do exist.
Musically, Soil takes a page from Alice In Chains by crafting metal with a huge grunge influence. Songs like “Pride,” “Redefine” and “Say You Will” are thick with grunge rock while still maintaining a metal edge. “Deny Me” finds Soil taking on a Middle Eastern feel, and simultaneously sounding genuinely angry. McCombs tries his best to be James Hetfield while the rest of the group employs a Metallica-like progression in “Cross My Heart.”
Of course, Soil is in no way Lars, James, et al., but they’re getting there. If there is an audience and with proper promotion, Soil could easily be thrashing about on arena stages shortly. Redefine certainly hints at bigger possibilities for the band. Things are starting to fall in place for Soil. Soon, perhaps the group will be yet another storied act to come out of Chicago.
