SOiL Albums (5)
'Picture Perfect'
Release Date 10/20/2009
Tracks 13
Label Bieler Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Chicago-based alternative metal outfit SOiL's fifth album picks right up where 2006's True Self left off. Lead-off track "Tear it Down" wastes little time in convincing the listener that vocalist A.J. Cavalier is now the definitive SOiL vocalist (he replaced Ryan McCombs in 2004), and his mastery of the notoriously difficult tone between dirty and clean, along with the kind of solid musicality that comes from over a decade of playing together, helps keep Picture Perfect on the north side of mediocre. Never ones for subtlety (the cover features a weepy blonde in her underwear in front of a mirror), SOiL consistently puts out the kind of solid hard rock that earns slots on action/horror/science fiction movie soundtracks -- stand-out cuts like "Temptation" and "Last Wish" echo Black Album-era Metallica, while tracks like "Lesser Hand" and "Surrounded" aren't too far removed from Creed or Nickelback. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Soil's third full-length album finds the Chicago-based heavies with a new lead singer. Newcomer A.J. Cavalier -- longtime vocalist Ryan McCombs joined Drowning Pool in 2004 -- can ape Alice in Chains' Layne Staley as well as his predecessor, but he reaches deeper and growls heavier, breaking free from much of the post-grunge whining that plagued earlier recordings. It only takes a few seconds into leadoff track "Fight for Life" to get that True Self is a rock heading toward an awfully big glass window. From the blistering "Give It Up" to the dark, "Unforgiven"-era Metallica-esque closer "One Last Song," Soil fall victim to the simplistic self-loathing that plagued the grunge era only in lyric, and it's the tight, melodic, and more often than not brutal firestorm behind those words that sends that rock clear through the other side of the building. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
SOiL's second J LP kicks off with "Pride" and the title track "Redefine," two of the cleanest cuts of metal meat to ever peel from the post-grunge femur. Both feature flat, cutting guitar riffs boiling over stomping percussion; vocalist Ryan McCombs seems to tear out, chew up, and ultimately swallow the sinewy remains of his own Adam's apple. The tracks belong in that post-grunge hall of heroes alongside Saliva's "Click Click Boom" and Drowning Pool's "Bodies," songs that transcended genre cliché with brute force and real groove. (SOiL make a point of remembering Drowning Pool's Dave Williams in their liners.) The remainder of re.de.fine can't fully sustain its initial energy. But while SOiL pay heavy dues to Alice in Chains ("Something Real") and Korn ("Cross My Heart," "Love Hate Game") throughout, McCombs and guitarists Shaun Glass and Adam Zadel consistently generate their own brand of caustic heat. "Suffering"'s huge hammer-down riff anchors the album's midsection, while the conventional crawl of "Remember" is saved by interesting chorus dynamics and a squalling six-string breakdown. "Say You Will" even recalls the growl and classicist pacing of Judas Priest. It's in these moments that SOiL claw their way out of the post-grunge production pit, that slick, slimy place where records like this battle for the wallets and souls of the Ozzfest faithful with sound-alike mixing and radio-ready, oddly empty melodies. Too many bands rely on that studio trickery to take them places. On the contrary, SOiL actually seem held back by it. As initial blasts like "Pride" prove, they have the grit and gusto to redefine themselves outside of that dark cash-in place, while still sating listeners who don't care to leave it. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Soil relies on heavy riffs and catchy choruses to hook listeners in with their album, Scars. Scars is a straight-up rock & roll album, albeit with a modern twist that will make older listeners reminisce of rock from their youth, yet still has enough raw energy to keep younger fans entertained. Soil, who has found stability with J Records and this release, is bound to break through rock's glass ceiling. Songs such as "Breaking Me Down" and "Halo" have evident commercial appeal, yet have a coarse grittiness that is refreshing compared to many well-oiled industry singles. Vocalist Ryan McCombs has rock star quality oozing from his every pore, and listening to his boisterous bellows, one can easily envision him alongside such icons as Axl Rose and James Hetfield. Soil surely has a stable future ahead of them, as Scars is an album that embraces the rambunctious spirit of rock & roll and allows it to overwhelm the listener. Soil may not appeal to those looking for the latest in hip-hop/metal, but for those wishing a band would come along who could induce the feelings that Appetite for Destruction or Metallica's Black album once did, Scars is for you. ~ Jason D. Taylor, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The music on Soil's Throttle Junkies has its dose of heaviness, meaning that Soil score pretty high on the mosh pit scale, but that's all this record could be good for. Seriously, if Pantera or Marilyn Manson didn't get so big, these guys would probably sound like Poison. ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide
