ZOO

Description

This is the Californian hardcore punk band's debut album on Matador, considered one of the most interesting, progressive, and original on the global hardcore scene. Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, Ceremony has built an incredible reputation across the Atlantic with three albums since 2005, all acclaimed by the hardcore punk scene, and high-energy live shows. Matador signed them in 2011, and the band set about recording "Zoo". John Goodmanson (Blood Brothers, Sleater-Kinney, Weezer, Girls) was chosen to refine the band's sound while continuing their preferred themes of suburban alienation and isolation. The music on "Zoo" explores punk and post-punk traditions: the rhythm section is tight and propulsive, and the guitars range from powerful power chords to sharp leads reminiscent of Gang Of Four or The Cramps. Ross Farrar establishes himself as an incredible frontman and a brilliant lyricist. His lyrics echo the core themes of US hardcore, but his vocals, mastering melodic complaints as well as fits of rage, with an execution that almost recalls his illustrious ancestors from across the Channel. With "Zoo," Ceremony achieves the perfect symbiosis of British and American punk for an album that is as effective as it is artistically demanding!