Zombie Shaker Box | Encrypted
by Mark Allen
Staff Writer —
The second you hear the heavy, chugging, down-tuned guitars that form the foundation of Zombie Shaker Box’s retro-grunge sound, you will immediately think, “Hey, this sounds just like Alice in Chains.” And then the distinct vocals of band founder Kirk Hulshoff will emerge from the rumbling maelstrom and cause you to wonder if Layne Staley has risen from the grave and the Alice in Chains comparison will be complete, firmly cemented in your cerebellum. You may even double check the album cover to make sure it doesn’t have the Alice in Chains logo on it.
Is there anyone out there actually clamoring for a grunge revival? If so, Encrypted will make you happier than an erectile dysfunction sufferer winning a lifetime supply of Viagra. Bands that play this straight-forward dust-and-mothballs style of heavy grunge simply do not show up too often, since hard rock fans have turned their backs on the whole non-melodic, flannel-wearing, shoe-gazing alternative metal fad. That is not to say the genre doesn’t have its place—or its followers—in the hard rock pantheon, but its commercial viability is more limited than a quadruple amputee’s chances at winning a thumb-wrestling competition. Of course, for some rock ‘n’ roll renegades, the lack of mainstream appeal is the appeal.
While the overall sound of Zombie Shaker Box may be about as fresh as a month-old cadaver, they play with an assured confidence that lets you know they mean business. The band is not a bunch of unskilled amateurs flailing away at their instruments like a blind man having an epileptic seizure while trying to hit a piñata. Hulshoff may spend the overwhelming majority of the album channeling the ghost of Layne Staley, but he occasionally slips into a higher, more ‘80s-esque register, with hints of Jeff Keith (Tesla) and Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses) creeping into his tone. This is most noticeable on “Answer to No One,” a blues-fueled swamp-rocker that suits these guys well and an invigorating direction that deserves further exploration from the band on any future efforts.
The guitar work of Jami Lin is not all rumbling bottom end noise; he actually serves up some nice solos and powerful riffs, with the heaviest one forming the backbone for “Gates of Hell,” the highlight of the album, all monster metal and spitting attitude. The band is at their best when things are cranked up, but there simply are not enough full-throttle rockers on this album, the pace falling prey to mid-tempo malaise far too often. Songs like “Tigerlilly” or “Hideaway” might have been brooding alt-rock hits back in the ‘90s, but they lack the livewire energy Zombie Shaker Box bring to bear on beefy chest-thumpers like “Blow N’ Smoke” or “Industry Witch,” which hit hard and heavy and possess you with a near-undeniable urge to break something, preferably the volume dial so nobody can turn it down.
At one point Hulshoff sings, “Even Jesus wouldn’t pay the price for what I did,” and if it turns out Jesus hates grunge, he may be absolutely right. Within grunge’s dark, melancholy parameters this is solid stuff, maybe even several shades better than solid—after all, Alice in Chains were one of the best grunge groups and Zombie Shaker Box faithfully worship at their altar—but it is not going to make much of a blip on the hard rock radar. Give the guys credit for rebelling against the norm, but that very willingness to do something different—or more accurately, something dated—means they will appeal to only a relatively small fraction of the heavy metal community; most others will greet this album with nothing more than crypt-like silence.
Genre: Grunge Rock / Metal
Band:
Kirk Hulshoff (vocals)
Jami Lin (guitars)
Cory Kay (bass)
Tomonon Sugiyama (drums)
Track Listing
1. Welcome to My Rave
2. Blow N’ Smoke
3. Tigerlilly
4. Answer to No One
5. Cry
6. In Loving Memory
7. Gates of Hell
8. Hideaway
9. Industry Witch
10. Ashen
Webpage: www.myspace.com/zombieshakerbox
Label: Indie
Hardrock Haven rating: 6/10