⋘This song can be found on ZODIAC's most recent release, a 12" LP put out through 7 Degrees Records, going by the name "Menschenstaub".⋙

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ BAND BIOGRAPHY & INFORMATION ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

There is damn good chance you’ve never heard of Zodiac. Neither had I until getting a copy of Menschenstaub from 7 Degrees Records. I’m definitely glad to no longer be oblivious of this band, and if you’re into deathcrust or any similar variation of the subgenre you should make it a personal mission to get real familiar with them as well. No one can really be blamed for such ignorance though. I mean, these guys are really hard to dig up information on even in the world of the all providing internet which is no small feat on their part. Hell, they don’t even seem to have a Facebook page. It does appear, however, that they may be on Myspace, but not even angels dare to tread there.

Hailing from Bremen, Germany Zodiac play an unforgiving blend of hardcore and death metal with a mountain of crust built atop it. Menschenstaub(Human Dust) is the bands debut LP which follows the release of their 10″ EP Rasiertor Affe. Thank goodness for press release information because otherwise I’d be clueless to that info about this mysterious band. Zodiac is definitely an underground band that kicks major ass and deserves some attention. Upon first listen to Menschenstaub I knew this to be a fact. Each successive listen only solidified this.

Menschenstaub opens with a downright creepy intro that sets the dark and serious tone for the rest of the album. This leads straight into their fervent brand of deathcrust. The music is raw and uncompromising from the first second to the very last. Zodiac prove they aren’t here to provide you with an album to relax and wind down to. There isn’t any “easy” listening to be had. The lyrics are entirely in German, but the liner notes include English explanations of what each song is about. My favorite is the description of “Genullt”(Zeroed Down.) It “is about the meaning of life, or better yet the lack of it. It is about being slaves to the illusion of grandness. Life only has the meaning that we give it.” Okay, I won’t ruin anymore for you. You’ll have to check the liner notes for the rest, but as you can see these guys are tackling some pretty deep and serious subjects. The depravity and anger seething throughout each track really hammers in the dire seriousness of the message whether you speak German or not.

There’s plenty of standout moments on this record which blazes through ten tracks in about thirty minutes. Not that that’s lightning fast, but things do maintain a brisk pace that’ll leave you breathless if you aren’t careful. I really love the dirty rock n’ roll groove of “Ame Ende”(In The End). There’s some cool guitar work that makes this song feel different than the rest but still fit in at the same time. All around Menschenstaub is an underground gem. It’s killer from start to finish.


ZODIAC LINEUP:

Hauke - Vocals
Dalle - Guitar
Ansgar - Bass
Sébastien - Guitar
DC - Drums


BAND CONTACT INFO: zodiac@bibelfreunde.de

LABEL CONTACT INFO: 7degreesrecords@gmx.net