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Zozobra - Bird of Prey

Rating

RIYL

Rosetta
Cave In
Baroness
Isis

Label

Hydra Head

Tracklist

1. Emanate
2. Heavy With Shadows
3. Treacherous
4. Heartless Enemy
5. Big Needles
6. Sharks That Circle
7. In Jetstreams
8. Laser Eyes

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Recent Ratings
FinchSCF	Rick Gebhardt

Although the frenzied Harmonic Tremors was only released in January of last year, Zozobra mastermind Caleb Scofield was quick to react on his success, once again planting himself deep within the limelight. Still fresh in the minds of many, Scofield scurried back into the studio with Isis drummer Aaron Harris behind both the kit and knobs to record 2008’s magnum opus Bird of Prey, released via Hydra Head Records.

Harmonic Tremors was regarded as highly energized, bass heavy and all in all, an incredibly hard hitting debut record. In comparison to Bird of Prey however, Harmonic Tremors now seems as though young children would be lulled off to visit the sandman dreaming of sunshine, cute little puppies and ice cream while locked in a candy store. By eliminating the bulk of the lighter sequences that seemed so prominent on his debut, Bird of Prey showcases Scofield absolutely erupting into a chaotic scene reminiscent of Mt. Vesuvius when it swallowed whole the Italian city of Pompeii.

Bird of Prey captures the sparse heavy moments found on the band's previous effort and flawlessly reproduces a more intensified, prolonged version of what essentially is audible devastation. Elaborating on his plans of total annihilation, Scofield sets his sights high, aiming for heavy distortion and an abundance of reverberation, primarily relying on monumentally bottom heavy bass notes and a package of heavily reverberated guitars, as well as a guttural roar that does not cease throughout the disc's duration. By taking “heavy” to create “heavier still” while incorporating the ambient and spacey details – including a few pleasant euphonious backing chants by Scofield himself – that were well celebrated in connection to Harmonic Tremors, Zozobra have managed to engage their audience by creating a vibrant atmosphere of ruinous tranquility.

Incorporating the aforementioned elements into what is quite possibly the standout track of the album, “Laser Eyes” closes out the album with two minutes of wandering ambience derived from a range of flange and delay effects that copulate with Scofield’s guitar. At two minutes and fifteen seconds, the calming space-like sensation then ceases and forms into more earth shattering riffs and a raw, abrasive growl. Scofield allows the listeners to be pulled into the chaos once again before briefly resonating to the atmospheric tones and textures and then back again into silkscreened disarray via Harris’s beating of the toms. The album ends wonderfully with Scofield belting out his last inaudible words over the blaring reverberated riffs.

Of the three bands to emerge from the ash and rubble created by the disbandment of Cave In, Zozobra have undoubtedly solidified themselves as the most impressive. So if you are prone to migraines, look elsewhere for new music.

--Daniel Alcinii