ZEN (The Sound Of Shit Happening) CD
I remember the first Swedish Sins compilation on White Jazz, where the mysterious ZEN participated with an awesome track. Sorry, I forgot the title but for my taste, it was one of the best songs on this compilation...very heavy, fast and dynamic as early Blue Cheer and far away from the Scandinavian Punk 'n' Roll stereotypes. I've started my search for more material of ZEN but there wasn't anything to discover, because this was their first official sign of life. Two years later in 1999, they released a 10" on Leif Edling's Froghouse label, but I didn't get a copy of it. Nearly four years later, the band signed with Alex Hellid (Entombed) and his newly started label Muse Entity Records. When I think of the track on the Swedish Sins compilations, a lot has changed since then. ZEN joined forces with Erik Malmberg (organ and keyboards), who will appear as a session musician and not as a permanent member, but he's one of the reasons, why ZEN have experimented more with Folk and Jazz harmonies.
If you're looking for a straight-forward heavy fuzzy Rock 'n' Roll album, than leave this one out. This band isn't afraid of exploring new ground. Of course, the ingredients are well-known like 70's Prog and Blues, but they've managed it to take the vibe over in this century, mixed up with stuff like Beck and other Independent Rock artists. Dead Meadow is another band, which comes to my mind, though ZEN are less heavy and compact. After listening to this album a lot, I've got the impression that ZEN won't fit really into any description. They take the listener through different emotions, but the the entire feeling in general is more laid back and you won't be force to swallow one heavy riff after the other. If you're tired of all your heavy fuzzy or heavy doomy records, than I give you the advice to check out this psyched-out album. Very interesting and promising stuff, and I guess we will hear more from this three guys in the future. Give it try, you won't be disappointed!!! For further informations, check out the websites of Muse Entity Records and/or GMR Music Group, and, of course, the band's homepage.
(KK)