Zeni Geva - Freedom Bondage

Label: Alternative Tentacles

Year: 1995

For my money, this is the best Zeni Geva record they've done, and that's not an easy thing to judge, as all of their records are fantastic. Few bands manage the same intense bludgeoning that these guys can, it's a tightly coiled snake wrapped around a rabid dog (how's that for a non-musical euphemism about music?), wild music played with supreme precision. And while there's some strange hesitation to call this music "metal", I'm not sure how else you could classify it. Certainly, there are elements of noise rock, hardcore, art rock, prog, and experimental music, but once it's all filtered through this band the resulting effects are purely metallic. To be more precise, it's heavy metal of the utmost quality. If you're prone to like Neurosis, Today Is The Day, Pain Teens, Melvins, Dazzling Killmen, bands like that, and Zeni Geva has slipped by until now, please do yourself the favor of getting this record into some headphones attached to your cranium at maximum volume. Do that for me, will you?

Just so you know, this record (like many of Zeni Geva's) was recorded with Steve Albini, so you get that punishing drum tone, and a stark, dry wall of guitar distortion. There is no bass on this record, merely two guitars, drums, vocals, and some synthesizer. Rest assured though, it's heavy as fuck...no bass required.

If you listen to only one Zeni Geva record today, make it Freedom Bondage.

DL