In May 2004 this talented three-piece from St Albans recorded an EP of demos that caught the attention of rock producer Jason Corsaro, whose credentials include Soundgarden and Soulfly. They held recording sessions the following month and those demos turned into this exciting single: Soul Collides is an impressive mix of the raucous sound of the early '90s Seattle scene with a more contemporary melodic feel.
It's just about the right tempo - it's not so heavy that it turns the mainstream listeners back to their Nickelback CDs, and it's not as contrived and sickly sweet as some songs by aforementioned Canadians. Marc James' distinctive vocals have a quality that could come from a much older singer; his voice manages to catch and hold your attention against the noisy sound his band mates are creating.
Like Audioslave, The Verra Cruz are a talented band with an obvious knack for making well crafted and note-worthy rock that is blatantly aimed at the charts. As they are so thrilling - in a nostalgic sort of way - we won't hold it against them.
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