Some time ago I received Zuul FX’s debut album ‘By The Cross’. It was a mediocre industrial record. Full of well... Mediocre songs, sounding somewhere in the middle of Fear Factory and Soulfly. It didn’t impress me very much and I threw the CD away in my archives where it was collecting dust.
Then, a few weeks ago I received their second album `Live Free Or Die`. ‘Ah they survived’ was my first thought. With no expectations I inserted the album in my CD-player. And I got the same impressions that I got with the first record. A promising riff, but overproduced and up-tempo beats and militant drums. A mix of Spineshank, Fear factory and Soulfly.
But I was willing to give this cd a chance. I listenened to it again. And Again. And Again. And suddenly it happened; the pleasurable feeling of recognition. The structure, the poppy structures, the catchy lines, the pieces began to fit.

Now I wouldn’t say that this is a world class record but with songs like ‘Her is pure hatred`, ‘This Way’ and ‘Help Me’, are great songs you can enjoyably listen to more than once a day. I have my doubts about some lyrics like ‘14 Years Old‘ and ‘I Never Forget’. They seem kind of cheesy, but the extremely rhythmic industrial basis behind the songs makes these songs a lot better.

‘Live Free or Die’ is a step forward compared to their first outing. And I guess, with the right promotion, Zuul FX can become a band that can be important for the French metal scene as well as gain popularity in the rest of Europe. Since I don’t hear a lot from French nu-metal bands anymore, like Watcha, Pleymoo, Lt-no, Black Bomb A, Zuul FX can take the crown of that particular scene immediately. Lable: promising.