Let me start off with this review by saying I have been out of touch with the local music scene off and on for years now. I've spent time in the military, months away from Memphis with a band in Houston, MS, concentrating on a (failed) career in real estate appraisal, so I haven't been out much to check out the local scene. So, my first review of a local CD is about a year late, but if I haven't heard it, it's new to me. So, I write this in some small hope that someone else hasn't heard Chemical Zoo's "Fluid Exchange."
I've shared airtime in Life By Inches with Chemical Zoo on Rock 103's Sunday night program "The Great Unsigned", but at my own fault, haven't given them a good listen. But once every blue moon, a group of guys gets together and writes material that you hear and the first thing you want to know is "How are these guys not signed?" I got permission from the guys to do a CD review and had Dave e-mail me the MP3's. This stuff rocks, from beginning to end. This is just fist-pumping, head-nodding, straight-up kick ass rock and roll. From the rhythmic, marching pulse on "Twelve" to melodic guitar leads on "Gypsy", fans of straight-up rock and roll will love the CD. When I say straight-up rock and roll, I mean no gimmicks, no screaming, no whining, and (thank God) no hip-hop influences. I can't go into too much detail without going on and on about these guys, it just rocks, that's about it. They have found a new fan, a latecomer, but I'm behind them, and you should be as well.
You hear so many influences in the music, from Black Sabbath to System of a Down, Tool to Aerosmith, and everything in between. My favorite tracks on the CD are "Twelve", "Flikaswitch", and "Out of Time." Each song is well produced, with tight rhythms, crisp guitar tones, and commanding vocals. Kevin, Andy, Carey, Robert, and Lonnie have a good mix and just all around a tight group. This project raises the bar for what a local band's CD should sound like. On a personal note, it's making me want to step up what my band's release needs to be.
What blows my mind is how professional it sounds, this is an independent release recorded at gnoB Studios in Atoka, TN. Also, it has been voted one of the top ten independent releases of 2006. "Fluid Exchange" is definetely worth buying from the guys at one of the shows or online, you can get more info by cruising to www.chemicalzootopia.com or www.myspace.com/chemicalzoo. I finish up by saying, great job guys, you've got a new fan.
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