VAULTS OF ZIN — Vaults of Zin (review)

VAULTS OF ZIN — Vaults of Zin album cover Album · 2011 · Avant-garde Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
siLLy puPPy
The Dallas-Ft Worth metropolitan area of Texas has been known for many different artists covering the musical spectrum emerging from its gravitational force with metal having been some of the most successful in recent years (think Pantera, Absu, Devourment etc) but hardly limited to the more aggressive side of music. Zeuhl however is definitely not one of the strong points of this area and although the style was born on French soil and continues to be dominated by that region of the world, every once in a while a band from somewhere totally un-French emerges that takes the Magma trademark off into new directions only this one is all instrumental.

Coming from Denton, TX where the music culture mostly revolves around the University of North Texas College of Music, this distant now-suburb city of the greater DFW metroplex has become more famous for its jazz studies program rather than proggy experimental metal gone zeuhl anomalies but strange things occur in the world and in this case a band that calls itself VAULTS OF ZIN which took the zeuhl rhythms of Magma and adopted some of the psychedelic sludge metal aspects of the Fort Worth, TX band Yeti which took the space rock sounds into a more distorted and energetic avant-garde metal direction.

So exactly what does VAULTS OF ZIN mean? For video gamers it’s obviously the second level of The Netherworld which is the 3rd episode of Quake which has seven levels total including another secret level, however the word ZIN also refers to a legend who can literally do everything and adapt to any situation and get along with any person. And such is this band VAULTS OF ZIN that has its cake and eats it too. Somehow this band skirts the tightrope walk of treading the world of zeuhl rhythmic reality while dishing out what sounds more like a Univers Zero style of avant-prog while adding elements of metal but it gets even weirder with the addition of an aggressive violin.

This debut EP only consists of four tracks but they still almost reach 27 minutes but so wickedly cool it is. The zeuhl rhythms dominate the soundscape but the album / EP whatever you wanna call it is very interesting in its diversity. It does come across a lot like neighboring Yeti but this debut at least is grounded in the world of zeuhl where the bass line crafts a receptive carbon-chain-like infinity groove that keeps the whole thing anchored. Guitars are delivered in both heavy chunky sludge metal sloppiness as well as freaked out psychedelic avant-prog Univers Zero styled bleakness. And then there are taped sound effects and the extra touches of the violin and tripped out synthesizers. The four songs presented here manage to be progressive, heavy and psychedelic simultaneously as well as independently. This is a great album just to get lost in and ends with some sort of Eastern chant.
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