Album Review

Zuprowski Connection – S/T

• 21st Nov 2007

Zuprowski Connection have had their share of line up shuffles over time and rather than completely change their sound it’s merely honed it further. Their latest release, a self-titled quintet of songs represents that evolution.

The key elements to ZC’s sound are the twin guitars of Tim and Lee Not in the conventional, traded solos, lead and rhythm sense, far from it; ZC prefer to blend the two sounds and mix the expected roles so that rather than follow who’s playing what, you simply listen to the playing, full stop.

Songs like ‘Thru me’ have dissonant sounds rubbing with grunge heavy riffs and opening up avenues, not previously explored by the genre, it’s this ability to embrace the leftfield of traditional that makes the e.p stand above the norm and draw attention.

One of the newest additions to ZC, Mark Smith, is probably the most influential and rightly so. As a frontman/vocalist has the ability to radically alter the song but Mark doesn’t do that, rather, on ‘I can use you’ he bring all the elements together, acting as a linchpin for the other members to surround and draw strength from.

Taking the roots ZC have in nineties metal, the Soundgarden’s, the Alice in Chains, and then moving into more introspective and immersive heavy music of A Perfect Circle and Tool they’ve added their own power and brutal approach, best served up with the audio battery and fist in the centre of the face strike of ‘Nada’.

This is a transitional piece of work for Zuprowski Connection – establishing the new members and solidifying the sound, in order for them to create something amazing they have to exercise their experimental muscle and move into the areas they have previously hinted and alluded to.