Zero To Ballistic
1776 v2.0
Self-Released
Street: 12.16.11
Zero To Ballistic = Primus + ’70s funk + decaf Megadeth + politics
Logan-based Zero To Ballistic describe themselves as “modern Paul Reveres with guns at their hips, bullhorns at their lips and instruments at the ready,” and their album reflects this passion for the state of the Union in its revolution-stoking lyrics. The band blends a few types of musical styles, including a sort of ’70s funk groove that I imagine would play well at Burning Man; some punk influences—the sharp edges of which have mostly been whittled down—and even some old-school thrash metal. Opening track “A Word To The Knaves” is a good representative, with its opening riff clearly smelling of Mustaine. The biggest setback to this album is the vocals: Right away and throughout the album, they sound off-key and grating against the music. I would describe the vocalist as attempting a “Barry Gibb blended with Les Claypool” type sound, but not pulling off either one well enough to make it work. Unfortunately, they overwhelm any enjoyment of the music underneath, which, while mostly generic, is not bad in and of itself.