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Zerozonic: God Damn Better Best

Groove Metalcore

3.5/5.0

Mayhem Music
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by Craig Hartranft,  05.02.2011

Guitarist Daniel "Peisy" Olaisen (BloodRedThrone, ex-Satyricon) formed Zerozonic in 2004 with a desire to explore the realms of 'groove' metal. God Damn Better Best is the band's second outing, after 2007's Dead on Arrival.

Honestly, I didn't want to pursue or even like Zerozonic. Dropping the CD in my car player, I quickly hit eject after the first two songs, dismissing GDBB as mere European melodic metalcore. Cripes! I'm so tired of anything current with 'core' in its description. But I returned to it several weeks later anyway.

The thing is this: there's some solid, interesting, and entertaining metal here. I'm not sure its all groove metal, but Positivenegative, Symptoms, and the very clever (and catchy) Alcoholic Mayhem can qualify. Fake is near (melodic) death metal. No Tomorrow and the instrumental Instrumentalcase are near classic metal, with the latter a bit heavier. Still the veneer throughout seems to be more inspired melodic metalcore without the always necessary breakdowns. It's sort of old Sepultura sifted through Killswitch Engage and Cavalera Conspiracy. Lots of heavy riffing, blast beats, some quirky special effects, and those pesky hardcore vocals. Generally, you can call them harsh vocals, sometimes hardcore, sometimes near death growls. It's rather odd since Leo Moracchioli (Lowdown) can sing 'clean' quite well: witness the killer track No Tomorrow.

Nevertheless, as I said at the start, the modern take on groove metalcore makes the music on God Damn Better Best the best thing, excusing the 'core' vocals. If you're as skeptical or jaded as I've been with modern metal, then you'll probably not have the inclination or stamina to give Zerozonic the benefit of the doubt. But it's worth the effort to check them out.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

The modern take on groove metalcore makes the music on God Damn Better Best the best thing, excusing the 'core' vocals. If you're as skeptical or jaded as I've been with modern metal, then you'll probably not have the inclination or stamina to give Zerozonic the benefit of the doubt.

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Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]