Züül

May 29, 2010

Writer: Chris               

It’s amazing to me when I think of all of the years I’ve invested into this vehicle we call heavy metal music. When Judas Priest’s British Steel hit shelves again early this month it truly astounded me…and even depressed me a little! It was re-released for the thirtieth anniversary with some bonus tracks and a live DVD, which is always cool.

Wait! Thirty-years?!?! It’s been thirty years since I first bought that cassette tape in that dungy little store in my local mall back in 1980? Yep, I guess the years are catching up with me faster than ever, but you know, there’s a lifetime of newer bands to find and hold high as we move pretty quickly through this life. After all, it was Priest that helped contribute to that NWOBHM sound we old-timers love so much, an art that sadly hasn’t been utilized much in the past couple of decades with the advent of black metal, death, speed, grind, etc,. Then you happen across a band like Züül, five average guys not trying to change the world, but certainly hoping to contribute to it in some small way through our favorite medium: music.

As a Chicago boy all of my life, of course the Midwest is a special place for me when it comes to metal. Over the years we’ve had Trouble, Nachtmystium, Disinter, November’s Doom, Master, and a few other bands vying to put our little pizza-king city on the map. Down south from here in Carbondale (otherwise regarded as a college town no doubt spilling over with R.E.M. fans) Züül has released its first full-length CD titled Out of Time, a brilliant step forward for the proud Illinoisans like myself that rage hard and judge even harder. The band has the classic NWOBHM sound that resonates so long after its initial consumption that you find yourself humming or actually singing the songs for the remainder of the day. When I say the songs are well-crafted, well-produced traditional heavy metal you have to hear them to believe me. That said, guitarist Mike Bushur swears they never grew up on this NWOBHM sound:

“Our sound developed as we got to know each other better and figured out what we could and couldn't do together. We didn't grow up with the NWOBHM.  I got a tape 10 years ago or so from a guy in North Carolina who was pushing the NWOBHM sounds.  I had been interested in hearing these bands as I craved anything that was good.  That tape had the Virtue, Blitzkrieg, Bashful Alley, and Persian Risk singles and various other tracks from other bands, and the first side of tunes especially with the aforementioned singles really struck a chord with me.”

When you hear the music on Out of Time you are immediately pulled into the structure of the tunes as they have life and undeniable power throughout. There’s a slight twinge of punk sensibilities mixed in with some crushing metal that can’t be denied or ignored. The guitar tones and vocals cause moments of amazing wonderment, especially on the title track. When I say heavy metal as a whole has needed this kick to the gut for a long time now I mean it! While we’re seemingly lost in a loop of satanic ravings, chopped-up body parts, and other violent declarations of strife and war, where the hell has just straight-ahead metal been hiding? In Carbondale, Illinois, people!

Lyrically the band doesn’t bother with the abstract; the in-your-face, no-footing-around style is a welcome change for even the most ardent metalhead to appreciate and hail. When I asked vocalist Brett “The Baron” Batteau about his lyrical approach he said the tempo often dictates the words. “I usually go with the vibe of the song for the lyrics,” he said. “Books, movies, the History Channel and stories of my family are also how I figure out ideas - whatever I'm feeling at the time.  Keeping it very heavy metal, being we're a heavy metal band.” When you imagine some bands out there sweating bullets on scraps of paper, seeking out that very metal or “deep” lyrical verse to end all verses and put Geezer Butler out of business, it’s a band like Züül that keeps it as real as we want it to be kept. Coupled with the band’s incredible talent, this type of honesty in music is rare these days and should be coveted like a buffalo nickel!

What’s also great about Züül is that they are just five local boys that make metal music for every generation; there is no real gap here to be found. A sixteen-year-old kid can dig a tune like “Air Raid” as much as we metalheads pushing the big four-oh. Dare I call Züül a working class metal band? They sure would fit the bill when you think of the roots of NWOBHM, a scene rife with bands that usually scraped together coins hoping for studio time in some back alley English town. We could very well have the second coming here, possibly a NWOAHM to push. Bassist Bob Scott tells how the band formed, under strangely typical, but interesting circumstances:

“One day I pulled into my driveway in "smalltown, USA" and noticed that my new neighbor had TRBNGR on his license plate.  It's a complete long shot to have a neighbor in my town that is actually into Turbonegro.  I pretty much introduced myself to Mike right away.  He filled me in on the last twenty-years of "underground" metal, a lot of that being New Wave stuff,  and we started sitting around playing “geetars.”  I really took to a lot of stuff he was playing.  It wasn't much longer before we started talking band ideas.  We really couldn't proceed from there until we found a singer, which is hard as fuck!  There aren't too many people around that love the same kind of heavy metal and can actually sing and want to be in a band that plays original songs.  I met Brett within the next couple of months in a local record store…I told him about this band idea, and he starts singing right there in the store.  Singer - check!  Then there's Morgan and Jared.  Jared and I have been playing together for years in other local bands.”

Usually the best bands meet by total accident or the hand of fate steps in; both ways the results can be terrific and Züül is one amazing band that needs to be heard. The syrupy-heavy, brooding guitar tones that break convention and drop-tune from the typical standard tuning associated with the NW sound are a welcome change of pace. When something is heavy, it’s heavy, and Out of Time will have a long-lasting effect on you if your head is ready for such a shock to the system. These guys are the everyman, the average Joe hanging out in the corner bar or local record shop scouting for that rare gem that some fool carelessly let go for nickels. They are you, they are me, they have no rock star egos oft part-and-parcel with even the local bar bands in the big cities. They make some fine heavy metal music for the masses that are intelligent enough to “get it.”

Even though I’m happy to have this style pop back up through a few bands and certainly wish more would adopt the style, Mike sees it differently. “Well, it's probably better to have a few bands doing it right than a bunch of bands doing the same thing,” he offers. I just hope this “outdated” style becomes the new rage again because newer generations are certainly missing out. According to Bob, even the “dirty” sound of the era was utilized to the full potential:  

“We were definitely dedicated to staying away from the crisp/clean/over-produced sound of most modern heavy metal albums.  We also were committed to get the rhythm sections of the tracks recorded live, with all of us in a room together.  That process seemed to give the tracks the raw energy feeling that we get from a practice or show.  Then we throw vocals and leads over the top.  We had a good time mixing the tracks, and then the mastering job done by Colin Davis sealed the sound!”

To sum it up, Züül is a band of local guys that needs your support because, frankly, they deserve it! As fans, you deserve good solid metal music void of all of the typical trappings and triteness of a watered-down band bent on epic stardom. While I would love to see a band like Züül reach Metallica-like stardom the reality is they won’t. Someone once remarked our heroes are all dead. That may be true, but who says we can’t find new ones?

Mike adds: “[Our] immediate plans are the tour in June with High Spirits and Chapstick.  The vinyl is out now!  We are always writing new songs as well and those will continue to creep into the live set.  Long term is just to keep this beast rolling.  Next year will be a bit quieter from us maybe due to life again, but I can foresee a 7" or two hopefully.  It's impossible to look too far ahead.  We'll just keep doing what we do.”

And we can keep on liking what you do, the band that probably won’t let us down in the long run. Who can deny a band like that?

TO THE TOP

Release Date: January 25, 2010
Label: Planet Metal Records

TRACK LISTING

OUT OF TIME

LINKS

BUY: Air Raid/On The Run (7" vinyl)
BUY: Out of Time CD
BUY: Out of Time LP
MYSPACE

Record labels & PR groups interested in more info on Züül should contact us:
Please put the artist name in the subject line for prompt attention.

HERE

*Comments:

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

1.  Out of Time
2.  Warriors
3.  Executioner
4.  Air Raid
5.  Warhammer
6.  Backstreet Crawler
7.  Darkness on the Ice
8.  Ride Ride
9.  Return to Yagi

Total playing time:  39:14

Check out Chris' review of Züül's Out of Time here

Züül

“…there have always been bands playing this style.  The internet has made a lot of music that was hard to get before very available.  So as more people hear this kind of music, there's a good chance they will be influenced by it.  Hopefully those influenced can do something good with that influence.”

- Mike Bushur, Züül guitairst

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

The Baron Batteau:  Vocals
Mike "The Butcher" Bushur:  Guitar
Hateful Jared:  Guitar
Bob Scott:  Bass
The Mosquito Hawk:  Drums

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)