ZOE – Raise The Veil

ZOE – Raise The Veil

LX/Brennus Music – 2014

Rock, Speed, Stoner, Hard

Rated: *****

Even though the first two efforts, Make It Burning (2006) and Dirty Little Sister (2009) by the French quartet ZOE were already high spirited mean ass rock ’n roll records of a true rambunctious nature. It is with their new effort Raise The Veil that the guys raise the bar. A band that started back in the nineties and only delivers three albums has to be one of those bands that hones their craft before putting their music out into the world. And even though ZOE does not take that adagio to heart; unconsciously they must have done just that. Raise The Veil is the first album recorded in a proper studio, the Glowsun studio, and mastered by an outsider, Göran Finnberg, who has worked on In Flames, Glowsun, Opeth, Meshuggah and many more. It has turned this album in something much more cohesive, without losing any of the famed ZOE spirit and wild antics. And then there is the songwriting and lyrical content; which have improved to such a degree that we fear the boys have managed to look behind the curtain indeed and sampled from the great and secret treasure hidden there. For the drums manage to give more air to the riffs and the guitars dare to leave more room as well. Which gives the bass some space to excel. From that you can conclude that we are finally able to enjoy this dirty little ZOE on every level imaginable. We still hear a little Fu Manchu, Dozer, Motörhead, Monster Magnet, Queens Of The Stone Age and straight up hard rock. But above all we hear ZOE capture the true essence of rock ‘n roll! So join in on this Slam Dance Union as ZOE takes the building!

(Written by JK)

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