Zodiac – A Bit Of Devil cd

Zodiac are a four guys from Germany, who sound like they have just crawled out of the Louisiana swamps, and still think it’s the 70’s, mad ? maybe, utterly compelling ?, Yes.
The record kicks of with the title track ‘A Bit Of Devil’ and your immediately immersed in 70’s era Southern rock, full of bluesy riffs, energetic drums and charismatic vocals.
‘Carnival’ drags you in, with a catchy hook, before a monster solo takes up the last half of the song, simply stunning.
Just to make sure you know where this band are coming from, they cover ZZTOP’s ‘Blue Jean Blues’, they stay faithful to the original version thankfully, with Guitarist Nick van Delft giving Billy Gibbons a run for his money. What a cover version to choose, not only have they done it justice, they have given this song a new lease of life, you have to hear this, a stunning vocal performance, and one hell of a solo dripping with feedback, epic doesn’t even come close.
Nothing can follow that unfortunately, and ‘Horror Vision’ suffers in its simplicity, while it is still a good song, ‘Blue Jean Blues’ is still replaying in my head, and it takes a while to refocus on the task at hand. A catchy hook gives this track much needed momentum, but it’s still not up there, the weakest track on the album for me, saved only by another piece of Nick van Delft guitar work.
I’m pleased to say ‘Assembly Line’ put’s the bar back to where it belongs, back in Southern Rock territory. ‘Thunder’ features some great picking, and ‘Diamond Shoes’ keeps the high quality song writing going with some great riffs that had me reaching for my air guitar.
The final song ‘Coming Home’ combines all the elements Zodiac stand for in a simply awesome ten minute track, serious grooves here people, perfect for a trip down Route 66.

This could be album of the year for me, it just oozes class, full of blues driven psychedelic rock that kicks some serious ass. 9/10

Vocals / Guitar: Nick van Delft
Guitar: Stephan Gall
Bass: Robert Kahr
Drums: Janosch Rathmer

1. A Bit Of Devil
2. Carinval
3. Blue Jean Blues
4. Assembly Line
5. Horror Vision
6. Thunder
7. Diamond Shoes
8. Coming Home

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