Zu - The Way of the Animal Powers

180 gram White/Black swirled vinyl L. First time on vinyl. Deluxe gatefold sleeve with glorious art from Italy's Scarful. Improv/Experimental/Metal. Over their 10+ year career, Zu's modus operandi of straddling and abusing musical genre's has lead them to 15+ unique releases. Their blend of metal, experimental, math, no-wave, noise, punk, and improvisation caused John Zorn to describe their sound as "a powerful and expressive music that totally blows away what most bands do these days".  On "The Way of the Animal Powers"(which draws it's name and inspiration from the Joseph Campbell text of the same name), the Rome-based, sax/drums/bass trio is joined by Chicago-based, avant cellist, Fred Lomberg-Holm, to create a intricate and aggressive album, rich with improvisation. From the thunderous opener "Tom Araya is our Elvis" to the gentle dissonance of "A Fortress Against Shadows" to the jittering frenzy of "Farewell to the Species," the interplay between the quartet and it's attention to tone and texture is exceptional.    Originally released in 2005 on CD(now out of print) via the Xeng label, this incredible album finally gets the deluxe 180 gram, gatefold vinyl treatment, including a fresh remastering by James Plotkin (Khanate, Jodis, Lotus Eaters, etc.).  In the running for the world's hardest working band, Zu have played over 1000 shows throughout Europe, US, Canada, Asia, Russia, Mexico, and even Africa, and have released 14 albums on such labels as Ipecac, Atavistic, Frenetic, Red Note, Public Guilt, Headz (Japan), Wallace, etc. Zu has collaborated with a vast number of great musicians including Mike Patton, The Melvins, Dälek, The Ex, Peter Brötzmann, Mats Gustafsson, Nobukazu Takemura, Damo Suzuki, NoMeansNo, Joe Lally (Fugazi), Altered States, etc. and shared tours and stages with The Melvins, Lightning Bolt, and countless others. “From the initial and somewhat eerie opening notes of The Way of the Animal Powers, Zu make it clear that they intend to present something as engrossing as it is unique. Zu prove that, like the best of the purveyors of what we call "post rock," music, when pushed to its boundaries, needn’t fit the standard "songwriting" template to grab you by the ears and shake you." -Tiny Mix Tapes  "This is aggressive improvisation, pitched somewhere between rock and jazz, with lurching rhythms that always supply forward momentum but with an ear tuned more to tone and texture than melody. This set is not for the faint of heart. However, if you enjoy noisy improv, The Way of the Animal Powers might just do the trick." -All Music Guide…. Released on the heals of "Carboniferous"(Ipecac Recordings) which was voted Album Of The Year in Rock-A-Rolla magazine's Best Of 2009 poll.

Tracklisting: A1. Tom Araya is Our Elvis A2. Anatomy of a Lost Battle A3. Shape Shifting A4. The Aftermath A5. Things Fall Apart B1. The Witch Herbalist of the Remote Town B2. Farewell to the Species B3. A Fortress against Shadows B4. Every Seagull Knows

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