SOiL – Digged by their fans

May 31st, 2015

London, Koko, UK

***½

Gritty American Heavy Rock, keeping it real and Earth bound.

SOiL ***1/2 To me SOiL is to music what a Yorkie bar is to chocolate. It is not really meant for girls it’s a rough, tough man’s band. Although there are plenty of girls that do like them, I can’t count myself as one of their hardcore fans. This band doesn’t transport you to another level or lift you up to heady height. You wont find euphoria underground, but that is just not their thing.

SOiL fans go mental for the music, every time they hear a single second of it. You will find it hard to find any fans crazier or more devoted. With songs like ‘The Hate Song’ it is easy to see how they get their fans riled. These guys are nuts and could make a football "rough" seem tame. Security literally found it hard to get a handle on the number of fans being lifted up and tossed into the pit, and you need to be built like a brick s**t house to keep pace with the moshing. If you want to stay on your feet and avoid being crushed, stay away from the centre while SOiL are playing. I saw this band support Coal Chamber in both London and Brighton. At both gigs they received the biggest reaction from the crowd and their fans made the most noise.

When they played in Brighton it was a sultry summer night. A lazy haze of sunshine skimmed the horizon and sparkled on the surface of the sea. The venue was rammed and the doors had been opened up to tempt in a sea breeze. All was at peace, until SOiL came onto the stage. Then the madness descended... I found myself crushed against the pit barrier and I felt like I was being buried alive. I thought it might be something about the strangeness of British seaside towns, or that the moon was full that night, but I was wrong... this is normal!!! While the band wasn’t on top form at Brighton they gave the Koko their all and pulled off a much improved and powerful performance.

It is easy to understand why Ryan McCombs (Lead Vocals) was holding back a little on the rest of their tour. He was hospitalised on the 3rd of November 2014 after suffering a stroke. This guy has my deepest understanding and respect for coming back so quickly to the stage and fighting his way back to recovery. It is incredible, inspiring and shows true grit. This guy is solid. Their fans may be a bit nuts, but these guys couldn’t be nicer or more down to earth. We managed to speak to Tim King in the green room at the Koko and were impressed by the bands attitude.

They played their biggest hits and favourites ‘Halo’ and ‘Redefine’. Ryan McCombs went into the crowd for ‘Halo’. The crowds loved it every time, but to me after seeing a couple of shows, it felt a bit formulaic and the guys pretty much said the same thing to the audience each night. I would love to see SOiL build in a bit of variation to their set and mix things up a bit.

I like their Ram Jam cover of ‘Black Betty’, a stable finisher for the tour... as it really feels a heavier then the original Rock version and much better than the Tom Jones edition. For me ‘Unreal’ was the best song of the night and probably my favourite SOiL song, but it is also the most terrifying in terms of audience participation. Seriously a warzone can feel more friendly. I hope Ryan McCombs continues to soldier on. I am sure he will continue to gain in strength as he pushes himself with further performances. I am looking forward to hearing some new material. Their songs and performances are solid, but I would love to see their sound evolve.