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By Amy Silva

Swirling teens knocking into each other, sending up a scented cloud of sweat as bodies head to crowd center stage. This was the scene at the Metro in Chicago on Nov. 16, the night of a stellar performance by the Chicago rock group Soil.

In the decade of the 90's as the music industry heads into a riveting mix of combining hip-hop and an alternative sound, this group brings rock back to its origins.

Beginning their journey roughly two years ago, guitarists Adam Zadel and Shaun Glass, bassist Tim King and drummer Tom Schofield were jamming and writing music on the side. They were all members of separate bands and wanted to get together to try a different style of music.

Right away they just seemed to click, although they were without a singer. They had fine tunes in the writing and proceeded to come up with songs and set their style.

King found a compilation CD of a bunch of other bands and was impressed with one of the singers, Ryan McCombs. King contacted McCombs, who at the time lived five hours away in Indiana, and convinced him to come to Chicago.

The band went into the studio and put out a five-song demo under the small

label, Olympic Records. The band's steely riffs and stopping beats contributed to the success of this debut album, "Throttle Junkies." The band has been supporting this record by touring midwest and east coast states throughout the past months.

Glass said, "We have an album out that isn’t like an AC/DC record where you hear the same song over and over again. We offer variety."

He continued: "Whether lyrics or music, everyone collaborates on ideas and riffs, and I can really hear each guy's influence."

Such songs as "She," "Everything" and Road to Ruin" demonstrate Glass' point, as each one hits abrasive lyrics from love to pain, to yearning and loathing.

It will be a while before the group performs publicity again, since they are taking the holidays off. But anyone who likes Metallica and Pantera will love Soil.