Drawing comparisons to C.O.C., Sabbath, and the whole realm of sludgy guitars, Chicago's Soil have the dirty rock sound down pat. Somebody musta dragged a crateload of tunes up Ol' Miss on a riverboat as there's a definite "Eyes of the South" feel going on here. Hooks aplenty here cuz not only can they produce the sound, but Soil can also write sings that stick in your head (sometimes a curse, but here a joy). Don't know if it's the holiday mood either, but this is exactly the stuff I've been craving lately, fist-pumpin' metal with no pretensions, just here to kick your ass. Says they were touring with Skinlab, and I can see that, for while Skinlab holds more ties to industrial, both bands have a "wall of sound" feel to them that wraps you in it's smoldering arms. RoR's Warning: Only an E.P. with a running time of 19 minutes, but with the repeatibility potential this disc has, I'll be playing it a hell of a lot longer than some of the latest techno-thrash I've gotten. Essential driving tunes for the new year.