Zico Chain

Artist: 
Album Title: 
The Devil In Your Heart
Release Date: 
Monday, April 16, 2012
Distribution: 
Review Type: 

First of all, a short apology for the very, very late review of this album, something which happened to quite a few albums put to my care, I'm afraid, and which was originated by several negative events outside my personal sphere of influence. Regretfully, the bulk of those events caused me to suffer from a writers' block during several months, and it's only at the start of this year that I've been able to start catching up with everything that's been piling up. Among the pile was The Devil In Your Heart, the more-than-excellent sophomore album by Zico Chain (an album which actually already came to the ConcreteWeb offices with a couple of months of delay, you know).

This London-based Alternative Rock trio consisting of lead singer/ bassist Chris Glithero, guitarist Paul Frost and drummer Oli Middleton was founded in 2005. Chris had just moved from Manchester when he met the other two, and bonded on the force of their common dissatisfaction with the state the UK Rock scene was in.

With influences from such as Motörhead, Queens Of The Stone Age, The White Stripes and System Of A Down, they began recording and were soon signed to Hassle Records, who would release the band's self-titled 6-track debut EP (produced with Teo Miller of Placebo fame, the EP also saw a single – along with a video – released for the track “Rohypnol”) in April 2006, and their debut full-length Food in October 2007 (from the album, 3 singles were culled over the course of the year). In between, the band toured with Nine Black Alps, Alkaline Trio, Cave In, and The Fall Of Troy. One of their singles became a #1 video on MTV2's charts, and Slash and Duff McKagan (of Velvet Revolver & Guns 'n' Roses) revealed that Zico Chain was their new favourite band. In November 2009, the band released the standalone single These Birds Will Kill Us (with B-sides “Blood 'N Bile” and “Daycare” available from several internet sites, including iTunes) through Degenerate Music. It was announced in April 2010 that the band had started work on a new full-length.

In order to write and record that album, the band bedded down in various derelict buildings around the UK, taking along their own recording facility (operated by the guitarist). Along the way, the trio felt several songs needed strings, and wanting only the best, they connected with award winning string arranger Audrey Riley (known from his collaborations with the likes of Muse and Foo Fighters, to name but a few) whom worked with a programmer as well as with live musicians to bring string sounds to those songs that warranted it.

Here and there, the ghost of Nirvana came fluttering by with a benevolent smile on her face, but I'd say that the band has very much a sound of its own, with a remarkable front center spot for the bass in many songs. Evidently, with only three musicians, the bass occasionally doés get such a prominent spot in the music, and Glithero perform admirably. He also has a very nice medium-high vocal pitch, and the steady voice to sustain it all when more poser is needed. In essence, the end result is certainly worth the attention of any lover of Alternative Rock, and I urge any such music fans whom would not yet have heard of this band, to check out whatever of Zico Chain's music is available on the Internet. To that intent, you best surf to (www.) facebook.com/zicochain, because that's where the most is indeed to be found. For additional infos, check the band's own webspot, (www.) zicochain.net!

93/100