ZEROSCAPE: "And If This Is The End I Will" (Cargo – Bad Reputation – Suburban)

 This Toronto (Ontario, Canada) based band is truely something else! Fronted by the enigmatic and vocally versatile Rob "Binski" McLeod (also guitar), the band (completed by Speshalist on lead guitar, MacNizzow on bass & backing vocals, and J. Jizzle on drums) brings an exhilerating crossover of groovy Metal, Hardcore, Reggae, and Soul which is quite unique.

Formed in 2001 as a 5-piece, the guys already released their debut album "Braille" in Sept. Of 2004. In promotion of that album, they went on a tour (which started in Nov. of the same year) of the Canadian east coast and found their true passion: the road! Instantly the guys planned an independent, 6-month tour that would take the band through 7 countries. So enticed had they gotten by the life on the road, that in fact they sold all their gear in order to hire a bus and buy plane tickets, arriving in the UK on March 1 st   of last year, then continuing to play 96 shows in a 6-month period, selling their album out thrice (having shipments sent after them) while on tour.

No need to say, their fanbase grew steadily and exponentially. Their new album having been released in their home country earlier this year, the guys again took for a European tour from early may 'til early August, garnering even more fans while touring the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, and Luxembourg. This time around however, French label Bad Reputation (alongside other distributors) was in on the (European) release of the album. I'm not sure when exactly whén that release took place, but eventually the album also reached our shores. And, let me tell you, it's a real find to discover!

I have to say, the Reggae part of the overall sound comes mainly through the voice of the very versatile Binski, who not only frequently brings that typical Jamaican accent to his voice, but also often sings quite melodically and clear, or goes into a Hardcore scream mode...perfectly backed in all his vocal endevours by bassist MacNizzow...and then also does the occasional Ragga rap! For a true mùsical influence from Reggae (you know, with that typical riffing), you would have to wait 'til track N°5 ("Uncle Bush Wants You"), and that same song also sees the first Ragga vocals. The rhythm foundation is truely great, with pounding drums and driven bass lines, and on top of that the lead guitarist (given an additional helping hand by Binski, who often leaves the guitar on the side while on stage – or so I gathered from the tour pictures I saw on the band's website zeroscapemusic.com) brings some of the catchiest licks you've heard in a long time! But it ain't all-out àll the time, there's also the beautiful "Anything At All", a ballad (with a heavy passaga, granted) that has no connection to Reggae whatsoever! And of course, plenty of the songs have calmer intros or passages...to let the agression part come out even more pronouncedly!

In short, if you're into Reggae with a heavy basis, you simply have got to go and get yourself this album! Me, I'm adding another band to my "Best Albums Of 2006" list...and I'm also gonna try and get that debut album!
99/100