Soil - Scream: The Essentials (2017)

Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, hard rockers SOiL formed in 1997 and came crashing on to the scene with their major heavyweight label debut album, ‘Scars’ in 2001. Widely considered by many to be the bands finest hour, the record featured such hits as the relentless opener “Breaking Me Down”, an unconventional ballad at its best with “Unreal” and the undisputed colossal classic, “Halo” to name but a few. Today, SOiL prepare to celebrate their 20th anniversary with the release of their greatest hits, ‘SCREAM: The Essentials’; a collection that catalogues the bands two decade spanning career with a fine balance of the tracks fans know and love as well as some surprises and rarities that will raise the hairs on the arms of those who consider themselves die-hards.

Loud, thunderous and unapologetically in your face, all these serve as accurate depictions of the bands core sound. From the opening moments of “Halo” to their sophomore record ‘Redefine’; an effort which played with the band’s sound while retaining those core qualities, with each release SoiL have kept it fresh, interesting and exciting. None more so than when, with what up until now was their latest effort, they released ‘Whole’, a record that, on its best day, could stand toe to toe with ‘Scars’.

So what constitutes a greatest hits? It would be all too simple to compile a collection of the most popular songs of your career. Instead, SOiL, in their current lineup of Ryan McCombs (Vocals), Tim King (Bass), Adam Zadel (Guitars) and Mitch Gable (Drums), went a step further. ‘SCREAM: The Essentials’ marks some momentous occasions while demonstrating the band’s uniqueness and strength, all the while paying respect to the past, the fallen, and to all things SOiL. In an age of the “This is the End but We’re Already Planning a Reunion” and glorified greatest hits tours, this collection stands out among much of the rest and is exactly what it says on the tin. A list of essential tracks to mark their twenty year career, making ‘SCREAM’ an essential part of any fans collection. Here’s to another twenty of one the best hard rock bands around.

TRACKLIST

01. Gimme Some Lovin'
02. Broken Wings (El Chupacabra Version)
03. Road to Ruin
04. Black Betty
05. Halo
06. Unreal
07. Breaking Me Down
08. Pride
09. ReDeFine
10. Can You Heal Me (Acoustic Version)
11. Give It Up
12. Let Go
13. Like It Is (Alternate Version)
14. The Lesser Man
15. My Time (Kickstart Version)
16. Shine On
17. The Hate Song
18. Way Gone
19. Halo (Live in London)
20. Rusty Cage