Zu - The Way of the Animal Powers LP / Digital Download

Originally released in 2005 on CD via the now defunct Xeng label(Italy), this incredible album finally gets the deluxe 180 gram, b/w swirled vinyl, gatefold treatment, including a fresh remastering by James Plotkin. On "The Way of the Animal Powers," the Rome-based, sax/drums/bass trio is joined by Chicago-based, avant cellist, Fred Lomberg-Holm, to create a intricate and aggressive album, rich with improvisation. From the thunderous opener "Tom Araya is our Elvis" to the gentle dissonance of "A Fortress Against Shadows" to the jittering frenzy of "Farewell to the Species," the interplay between the quartet and it's attention to tone and texture is exceptional.

"Zu are like the missing link between free jazz, Black Flag, and no-wave, if you can imagine that. Zu's innovative and out-there music can safely be called experimental, but whereas most sounds classified as such can be overly conceptual and academic, this album is both evocative and engaging, from start to finish. Stupendous work, and something that should be mandatory listening for jazz, metal, or indie rock purists alike." - Goat's Den

"Hypnotically repetitive and all right, we'll say it, HEAVY! Since when was it okay for a jazz group to channel Slayer and just CRUSH? Who cares! Zu is our 'heavy jazz' drug of choice now. This whole record is a dense tangled blast of downtuned artmetal deathjazz. Imagine Morphine, on, er, well, morphine. Dark and druggy, stumbling, convoluted and complex, a stuttering staggering drums, bass and horns battle royale. But this is not about skree as much as it is about the slithery lowslung skronk, liberally peppered with subtle scrabbly scattery percussive shuffle and moaning droning cello. So fucking great!" - Aquarius Records

"This band is so heavy, so cohesive, so potent. Simply one of the best rock bands going today bar none… Amazing how many bruises this album leaves on you after only 25+ minutes. - KFJC

A1. Tom Araya is Our Elvis (MP3)
A2. Anatomy of a Lost Battle
A3. Shape Shifting
A4. The Aftermath
A5. Things Fall Apart
B1. The Witch Herbalist of the Remote Town
B2. Farewell to the Species
B3. A Fortress Against Shadows
B4. Every Seagull Knows

Massimo Pupillo - bass
Jacopo Battaglia - drums
Luca T Mai - saxaphone
Fred Lonberg-Holm - cello

Release date: March 16, 2010

Artwork: Scarful

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