Reviews

For those in the know, this is Cave-In bassist Caleb Scofield’s new band with Santos Montano (Old Man Gloom) on drums.  As such, Harmonic Tremors is a good companion piece to the last releases by said bands. 
 
For those who do not know, Zozobra is about big drums, bottom heavy bass, raspy vocals, static-charged guitars, and a dirty psychedelic swirl.  Harmonic Tremors is a combustive cocktail of sound that holds you up against the wall and smacks you around a bit.  Kind of like if Pink Floyd was a heavy metal band, or if Neurosis came from Haight-Ashbury-era San Francisco instead of mid-Eighties crust punk. 
 
Zozobra have all the right criteria:  the drone, the space, the jam, the groove, and the really loud, professional equipment to make it sound good.  They are a little noisy, a little melodic; they are heavy without being too oppressive.  The emphasis here is on force.  Going against them is that this album definitely has the jam-first-vocals-second vibe to it, unfortunately adding to the empty feeling of a “side project,” which is hopefully not the ultimate case for this band.
 
Scofield has officially proven himself to be the “other” talented guy from Boston prog-heroes Cave-In.  Whether Cave-In is broken up for good remains to be seen, but here is the advice to Mr. Scofield:  pursue this band immediately with a strong second release.  Get a solid touring line-up and make this thing grow, baby.  If they clear up their sound like Unsane or The Melvins did for their last releases, Zozobra’s sonic future will be an ear-pleasing black hole of noise and melody.  Besides, what’s more fun as a seasoned musician than plugging in, turning up to ten, and cranking out some loud jams with your friends?  Nothing, as far as can be told or heard.