Featuring members of Those Poor Bastards and Call Me Lightning (French Kiss/Revelation Records), Wisconsin-based hardcore crossover miscreants, ZEBRAS, manifests a traumatic sound of societal scorn, wrath and disease. A blood-boiling brand of hammering, stripped down, punk-infused metal made of punishing drum demolitions, bowel shaking bass, chainsaw guitars, confrontational shouts, and enough volume to raze a nation, ZEBRAS don’t fuck around.
The City Of Sun is ZEBRAS‘ latest full-length. Officially unleashed earlier this week via Secret Records, the follow-up to their self-titled debut was captured at Howl Street Recordings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by drummer Shane Hochstetler (Call Me Lightning, Multiple Truths, Haymarket Riot etc.), mastered by Carl Saff (Pencil, Lustre King, Windmills By The Ocean etc.) in Chicago, Illinois and comes swathed in vexing tales of the occult, ancient texts, and lesser known military operations.
Selective Memory issues of the offering, “Funneling pure punk hardcore saccharine into the sweaty machine that is ZEBRAS, the band’s sophomore album ups the ante of pushing to the limits of time and style. The guitar structure sends as many people into a head banging fury as there are pit jumpers. ‘Hollow Earth’ is that battle cry that will get your attention. Forget the warm up, start running because it is nonstop all the way through. The City Of Sun is simply riot inducing and will pump up your circulation with the adrenaline this band possesses. Add a well-oiled production and mastered release and you will hear a hardcore album at the top of its element.” About.com concurs, “It’s an angry amalgamation of metal, hardcore and thrash. The songs are generally fast and aggressive with thrashy riffs, hardcore groove and a punk attitude. They manage to infuse melody into the chaotic arrangements as well. The production is raw, as are the yelling/screaming vocals. They slow the tempo a little bit periodically… but the intensity never wavers.” Rock! Shock! Pop! calls The City Of Sun, “a pretty fantastic album,” further championing, “ten tracks of unrestrained vocal insanity overtop of some seriously heavy, slick and tight playing. Great stuff.” Adds American Aftermath of second single “The Turning Of The Bones.” “The new tune conjures fierce, spiraling riffs that assault the ear drums mercilessly. The track almost sounds a Slayer song played by members of Botch.”
To commemorate its release, today the rage-wielders at Cvlt Nation are hosting a stream of the record in full for public absorption. Get irate to the sounds of The City Of Sun at THIS LOCATION.
ZEBRAS was spawned in 2007 and was initially likened to Dead Kennedys, Lard, and various AmRep bands. Since pairing with Shane Hochstetler, the band shelved all prior material, had a complete gear overhaul and fabricated their own perverse brand of heaviness. Their self-titled LP, with which Heavy Mental dubbed, “a mindless moment of bravery; psycho,” and Sonic Abuse crowned, “irredeemably, spectacularly horrid,” was a mix of old, new and now abandoned numbers and reaped praise from underground outlets globally. Their latest production finds the new and improved ZEBRAS emerged into all things heavy, violent and disparaging.
ZEBRAS will bring their sonic deviance to the stage for a pair of shows in September opening for Old Man Gloom and Mare in Chicago and DRI and Population Control in Madison with future live abrasions and psychological suffering to be announced in the weeks to come.
ZEBRAS Live Abrasions:
9/06/2015 The Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL w/ Old Man Gloom, Mare
9/23/2015 The Frequency – Madison, WI w/ DRI, Population Control
http://www.facebook.com/zebraswisconsin
http://www.zebras.bandcamp.com