Customer Reviews

Taste for the Perverse

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Actually "A Taste for the Perverse" was their last album, not their first. I recommend looking at used cd stores to find this album and all of their previous works which include: Six-T-Six, Souls at Zero and also (under their original name Wrathchild America) Climbing the Walls and 3-D.

Wrathchild America's 3-D is one of my all-time favorite cds.

Armed with their new drummer (for this CD anyway) Jamie Miller, Souls At Zero have returned with this here second effort to bash your senses silly. From the opener "Undecided", the heavy duty "Taken Apart", "Thrown Down", "Human Distortion" and "Needles", this ensemble provides living proof they mean business. Not all metalheads will even like this CD, but if you're open to experiencing lesser known artists like these guys and willing to take a chance, you might actually get something out of this disc.

This album rules. The first CD, which is self titled, is one of the most truely angry and heavy albums ever. This record got hurt a little when it was obvisious their record company could care less about them. But Souls at Zero were the real deal. You didn't have to worry about DJs sampling [music] on top of the music or the singer busting out some ridiculous rap in the middle of the song. These guys kept the Perverse album simple, and real heavy. It's a great album. You just don't get any better than tracks like Undecided and Thrown Down. If you can find their first one record don't deny yourself that shining example of true heavy metal.

Consisting of 3/4 of the members of former '80s/early '90s band Wrathchild America, Souls at Zero were a more straightforward, progressive version of metal and other influences that got sadly overlooked in the shuffle of "tough guy" and nu-metal releases that characterized the mid-'90s.

The band, now well into their 30s after all, were older and more streamlined than before and some of the more cartoonish imagery characteristic to thrash metal was shed in favor of more pensive and introspective music. Though bands like Alice in Chains that had been popular in the years prior to this may have been an influence in part, this is still tough, crunchy and somewhat bleak metal that should have made more of an impression on the record buying public than it did.

The first few tracks do not especially stand out and are kind of just a warm-up for the essential second half of the album. That's a novel idea -- structuring an album so that it just gets better as it goes along. Things do not really begin to heat up until track number five "My Fault?," complete with a cool chunky riff and substantial performance from vocalist/bassist Brad Divens, which includes a brief spoken interlude, one of a few to appear on the album. Things really kick into high gear with "Thrown Down," which is fast and grim and almost reminiscent of hardcore punk. By contrast, "Inside a Scream" is slow and almost reminds me of "Sad Wings"-era Judas Priest from the '70s. "Me, Myself, I" features some great back-up vocal harmonies and highwire riffing from guitarists Jay Abbene and Terry Carter but all of this is really like a warm-up for the crown jewel of the album, closer "Know More," which I have always felt is just plain BRILLIANT. The melodies and harmonies build to an emotional crescendo, making for a classic song. It is so good that it really just MOVES the listener like not a lot of other music does.

I got to see these guys live when this album was first out and they put on a great show and Brad Divens was as good of a frontman as he was in Wrathchild. This album always reminds me of my younger days (I was 20 the year it came out) and it has endured well since then. Highly recommended for the more serious heavy music listener.

this is a huge move for the band directly in the line of fire the music is like a juggernaut moveing down hill gaining momentuem.they changed a bit less agressive but more steadfast in the fact of we're not going to play what the company wants but anything but stereotype style.

Souls At Zero's first album, a taste for the perverse, is a great album for anyone wanting something heavy without the bogged down and rap influences in today's metal mainstream. Major record labels who looked past this album truly missed out on an oppurtunity to deliver something more authentic to the public and mainstream metal scene. All and all a great album worthy of your time.