Zu

Blasting with all the ethos of some of the heaviest of metal, but with a strong leaning towards free-form jazz freak-outs, Italian trio Zu's Carboniferous is an impressive debut on Mike Patton's Ipecac label. And just as you would expect from a Patton protégé band, Zu slaughter conventional genre labelling by blending powerful riffs and pounding drums with atmospheric noise and avant-garde musicianship with just bass, drums and a saxophone. From start to finish, the album rolls out like a juggernaut of savage musicianship, creating instrumental rage with a touch of abstraction. Wholly innovative, proudly experimental and vastly unique, Zu pound out a non-stop onslaught of powerful punk metal noise free-jazz that stops on a dime and then starts right back up again without a second to catch your breath. Carboniferous is an incredible album that grabs you right from the opening blasts of sound and continues to crush you mercilessly to the very end.