Crossing musical genres is one of the hardest
things for a band to pull off. System of a Down does it, building
a strong following and becoming critical darlings in the process.
But to me, their music always has come across as sloppy and
incoherent. It’s practically unlistenable to my ears.
There’s a fine line between ambition and schizophrenia.
It’s a different story when it comes to Divided by Zero,
who on their debut album, The Black Sea, take elements
of metal, hard rock, punk and reggae, and wrap it all up in
an incredibly listenable, infectious package. I don’t
care what you label it; this is good music by any name. “Ashes
of Armies,” which follows the haunting title track,
is a perfect representation of the band’s sound with
its reggae-tinged verses and soaring, melodic choruses. The
next song, “Chemical,” immediately attacks the
listener with its pounding double bass and dueling guitars.
The versatility comes into play even more on “Helicopter,”
a ballad marked by atmospheric keyboards, which then leads
to “Double Negative” the heaviest song on the
disc. With frontman Zach Goode spitting his vocals over his
bandmates’ aggressive guitars, bass and drums, then
slowing down for the album’s most melodic chorus, “Double
Negative” has a Stone Sour feel. The attack continues
on “The World Is Not Mine,” during which the punishing
introduction gives way to melodic verses and choruses and
an acoustic interlude before returning to its heavy beginning.
Much credit must go to the producer, former Snot/Soulfly guitarist
Mikey Doling. He has followed his fine work on another genre-crossing
disc, Mower’s Not For You, with an even better
album. He is a producer to watch during the coming years. |
