Zodiac - Grain Of Soul (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock / Blues / Stoner Rock

Label - Napalm Records

Track listing:

01. Rebirth By Fire (03:00)
02. Animal (04:29)
03. Follow You (03:42)
04. Down (05:44)
05. Faithless (03:18)
06. Crow (03:02)
07. Ain't Coming Back (03:19)
08. Get Out (04:32)
09. Like The Sun (02:45)
10. Sinner (03:18)
11. Grain Of Soul (04:40)

Following hotly on the heels of 2014’s acclaimed ‘Sonic Child’, German hard rockers Zodiac return with their forth studio effort ‘Grain Of Soul’. With a sound steeped in the bluesy stoner / grunge arena, Zodiac are bursting with swagger and confidence, on this collection of catchy, well-structured tunes.
From the opening chords of ‘Rebirth By Fire’ the listener is grabbed by a groove laden riff and a hooky chorus which demands their full attention. The tempo picks up a little on 'Animal' which powers along with a Zeppelin-style feel and a sing along chorus, before halfway through turning into something that would sit very comfortably in therapy with Therepy's  book of riffs. 'Follow You' follows and adds a slam of Bad Company styled classic rock for good measure.
Vocalist Van Delft truly shines on ‘Down’ with his haunting vocals dominating over a grungey, jangling guitar sound. It's most definitely a stand out moment on the album, along with ‘Faithless’.
'Crow' adds a southern rock element, and sounds not unlike Shinedown in places.
‘Ain't Coming Back’ has an AC/DC groove that has the listener nodding along in approval, with ‘Get Out’ continuing in a similar vein, adding a fist-pumping chorus and an infectious beat. With a brilliantly slick production from Arne Neurand ensuring that the listener doesn't miss a sonic nuance from the beginning to end, there's definitely more than a ‘Grain Of Soul’ to Zodiac’s work.
Whilst 2014's 'Sonic Child' album was a very bluesy influenced affair, 'Grain of Soul' see's the band in a much more rock orientated frame of mind.

Worth checking out.

Rating: 9/10