{"id":19183,"date":"2012-03-13T11:15:09","date_gmt":"2012-03-13T16:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=19183"},"modified":"2013-01-29T10:06:37","modified_gmt":"2013-01-29T15:06:37","slug":"zero-down-looking-to-start-a-riot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/zero-down-looking-to-start-a-riot\/","title":{"rendered":"Zero Down | Looking to Start a Riot<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Derric Miller<\/span>
\nStaff Writer —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Hailing from what is purportedly one of the Top 10 most miserable cities in America \u2014 Seattle, Wash. \u2014 the smiling, crazy, energized, fun as hell guys in Zero Down should probably be a larger part of that whole calculation, because when you hear their new studio album Looking to Start a Riot<\/em> \u2026 you will grin like mad. In a good way \u2026 not in an insane way. Ahem.<\/p>\n

The third studio album from this razor-edged quintet continues their penchant for penning testosterone-fueled Metal anthems, ripping guitar solos, a sense of humor few bands portray, and over-the-top vocals from front man Mark Hawkinson, aka Hawk.<\/p>\n

While obesely heavy \u2014 the music! \u2014 Zero Down still somehow manage to create memorable hooks in every track you hear on the new release. Starting with \u201cDead to Life,\u201d the searing riffs remind you of why Zero Down\u2019s music is so refreshing. They somehow hearken back to the days of Dio and Priest but bring a lot more \u2026 grit. Some of this is due to Hawk\u2019s snarling vocal style; it\u2019s part shouting on-key and part screaming in a scratchy falsetto like Udo, also on key though. The guitar solo from Lenny Burnett impresses, and if you have had the pleasure of seeing them live (Hardrock Haven has) then you\u2019ll know this is no studio magic \u2014 the guys can play.<\/p>\n

\u201cYear of the Rat\u201d leaps forth and gallops into your temple with the same fever as the opener. One thing you\u2019ll notice is that while the band wields a lot of talent, \u201cnuance\u201d isn\u2019t one of them. The music just slaps you in the teeth, and your bloody smile is better off for it. If these guys ever made it over to Wacken Open Air, you\u2019d see 10,000 new Zero Down fans be baptized within one track. That\u2019s the kind of (mostly) European Classic Metal vibe Zero Down oozes.<\/p>\n

The next few songs were written with the same amounts of napalm, so when you come to \u201cLast Days of the Crow\/Knockout Bridge,\u201d which is also the longest song on the release, you get to catch your breath, slightly. At least for the first 1:30. As mentioned \u2026 not much nuance. But you can see the band branching out into new areas here with a more complicated opening and not just riffing away at your skull. Of course, with lines like \u201cFortress of fire! Light my fuse!\u201d it\u2019s still Zero Down.<\/p>\n

By the time you land on \u201cBattle at the Battle of the Bands\u201d you should be frothing nicely. And they end the riot act perfectly with the heaviest, fastest, most rabid composition here. Drummer Tyler Lindsley must lose about five pounds every time he practices this song; it\u2019s not just the fills, it\u2019s the frenetic tempo that never lets up. \u201cTwo bands enter, one band leaves! Zero Down enters \u2026 no band leaves!\u201d If you wondered if they have a little Manowar-style bravado in them \u2026 yeah, they do.<\/p>\n

Zero Down has been a Hardrock Haven favorite since the first time they sent in an album for review. They keep improving while somehow devolving into the purest sound they can unleash. It\u2019s not only\u00a0that they are getting \u201cbetter;\u201d it\u2019s that they are getting more \u201cZero Down-ish.\u201d This is who the band at its core, and Looking to Start a Riot<\/em> is the band finding their basest musical identity and puking it onto vinyl\/CD\/MP3 for you to relish.<\/p>\n

Track listing:
\n1. Dead to Life
\n2. Year of the Rat
\n3. The Vulture
\n4. Broken
\n5. Last Days of the Crow\/Knockout Brigade
\n6. Sweet Revenge
\n7. Snake Eyes
\n8. Battle At the Battle of the Bands<\/p>\n

Band:
\nLenny Burnett, Guitar\/Vocals
\nRonnie Banner, Bass\/Vocals
\nMark \u201cHawk\u201d Hawkinson, Lead Vocal
\nFred Speakman, Guitar\/Vocals
\nTyler Lindsley, Drummer<\/p>\n

Genre: Heavy Metal!<\/p>\n

Online: www.zerodownrocksonline.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.1\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Derric Miller Staff Writer — Hailing from what is purportedly one of the Top 10 most miserable cities in America \u2014 Seattle, Wash. \u2014 the smiling, crazy, energized, fun as hell guys in Zero […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19183","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19183\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}