Musically, and demographically, Soul Chalice embody diversity. In their debut album, ‘Enter The Game’, the emerging rap rock quadruplet have managed to reimagine a style of funky, groovy, and almost 90s-esque sound with a very modern spin. Closely influenced by The Roots, but also with hints of rock rap pioneers like Rage Against The Machine and even RHCP, Soul Chalice is more than hip-hop, they’re soulful with a touch of rock. Enter The Game takes all you love from hip-hop turntabling, 90s flows, and constant punchline bars with basslines that sound like Flea himself wrote them. Rap rock might get a bad rep for some of its poorer actors, but Soul Chalice are somehow cohesively blending the two together into a seamless and funky flow on this project.
The group is big on the dynamicity that each member offers. On meeting together, they note: “It feels like we met by chance but it was meant to be. Face was initially invited over to Dan Ridgely’s studio through a mutual friend to engineer a session. Upon meeting the Dan and Mark and hearing them jam, Face knew he was in the right place. Within the next two sessions Face demonstrated his talents to Dan and Mark and Soul Chalice was born. However, there was still a piece missing. For months Dan, Mark and Face continued to jam and develop in preparation for when they found a drummer. One day Face met AJ shooting pool. AJ mentioned he was a musician. Face immediately invited AJ to come jam and Soul Chalice was complete. “
Unafraid to restrict each tune to a short bop, most songs on ‘Enter The Game’ are five minutes and longer in length — thereby fully demonstrating the full gambit of talent each member has on each track. ‘ Sunflower Seeds’ for instance is a lyrical extravaganza where Face goes off with bar after bar in a very non abrasive, but in your face fashion. Constantly blurring the genre lines with their instrumental work, the group has absolutely transformed a 90s hip-hop aesthetic into one that is fuelled by the fire and funk of alternative rock. I simply couldn’t help but be blown away at the turntables and bass on this project, they’re as much a highlight as the rap itself.
From the very hip-hop, disc scratching bumper that is ‘Enter The Game’ to the more guitar driven, electric solo pumping ‘Say Yeah!’, Soul Chalice bring a consistency to their sound that is rooted in the best of rock and rap. It’s energetic, it’s soulful, and it’s all around fun. If you’re a fan of 90s hip-hop, or rap rock, or hell even alternative rock, you’ll find something to love in this electrifying debut from a collective that is as dynamic as they are experimental.