EP Review – Zoltar Speaks : Treatment (2012)

Somerset quintet Zoltar Speaks have been working hard since forming in 2008, extensively touring and refining their sound before releasing their debut EP (which certainly hasn’t been rushed) ‘Treatment’ to the masses. The female fronted metal band have drawn comparisons to the likes of Skunk Anansie, Coheed & Cambria and Protest the Hero, although it has to be noted that their sound is much more traditional than progressive, occasionally feeling a little stuck in a rut rather than reaching for the stars.

Opening track ‘A Metaphor’ starts with a trio of dark riffs and none of which seem to quite hit to mark, making it a clunky start for ‘Treatment’. It finally settles down with a generic metal verse, and while the heavy chugs are decent, the vocals seem to struggle against the backdrop of riffs and beats. The hooks need something more – something bigger, more exciting. It just needs to be memorable, and it really isn’t. Much of this first track is, well, just bland.

‘How Could You Blame?’ has some great guitar work (although it would seem the comparisons to the likes of Protest the Hero are unwarranted – there are zero similarities here) but the vocals suffer yet again, maybe even more than the first time around. Louise Body clearly has a fantastic voice, singing in the vintage metal style fans of the classic area of the genre know well, but it just doesn’t seem to work. When the band are in overdrive the vocals seem to be struggling to keep up, and that’s a real shame. The chorus here is underwhelming and the song has no real direction, making it feel constantly lost and extremely hollow.

‘The Best Revenge’ starts with a riff that sound remarkably similar to that of the first track (albeit reworked in a clean style), but despite that, this is the most promising piece on this EP so far. The verses stumble, but proceedings clearly have more focus, the vocal melodies finally hitting heights that compliment the instrumentals and the band feeling tighter as a benefit. Guitar solos are well placed and gloriously performed (proving that a solo that lasts longer than 4 bars always has a place in metal) and the heavier finale pulls the song into thrash territory.

‘Treatment’ is grand scale, indulgent rock with the vocals fitting in effortlessly and almost eradicating the problems from the first two tracks. Layered guitars give this song an epic feel and the pacing of it is great, driving the EP to a satisfying close after some major hiccups early on.

‘Treatment’ is an EP of two halves, and while Zoltar Speaks clearly have ambitions to step away from the ‘female fronted band’ clichés, unfortunately it’s those clichés that make some of these bands work well, it’s just doing them differently that really make them stand out. Fromm the first half of ‘Treatment’ it would appear that this band are mediocre at best, and that may seem harsh, but based on first impressions, everything just doesn’t seem to come together in a way that is in any way remarkable. The second half is a different story, with many of the problems from the first two tracks being quite easily forgotten. It just all seems a little sloppy, meaning that perhaps the band are yet to find their niche. They’re a talented bunch and with a bit more attention to detail they could do really well for themselves, but this release will not go down in history as ground-breaking.