First things first, ‘Zoo’ is going to divide its audience; not in the usual sense, but more as if half of the fans are partaking in the musical equivalent of a Christmas BBQ down-under, while the other half are freezing their tits off singing carols in Britain. CEREMONY, a Californian hardcore punk outfit, may have not intended this divide when recording their fourth album – the record retains all of the punk attitude, gritty guitars and the same influences that formed their previous record, yet somehow manages to sound completely different.
It isn’t necessarily surprising that CEREMONY have headed this way. The sound on album number three (‘Rohnert Park‘) bared little resemblance to their full-on hardcore debut ‘Violence Violence’. It may be better to look at ‘Zoo’ as a direct progression and inevitable outcome when witnessing the change in sound between each release. The fact remains that ‘Zoo’ has very little in common with hardcore – this is a punk record, and an unapologetic one at that.
The biggest change which leads to this conclusion is the vocal style of frontman Ross Farrar. The album all but disposes of the throaty vocals in favour of a clean traditionalist style; often coming across like a SEX PISTOLS and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES lovechild. Once again, that leap isn’t huge, but it is enough to almost entirely reinvent the band’s sound. ‘Zoo’ is the product of a band making the music they want to make without sacrificing any of the raw attitude evident on previous releases. The album delivers all the force fans would expect, but with more melody and considerably more precision.
‘Zoo’ will not appeal to everyone and requires a more concentrated listening effort – this is not the pit-inducing frenzy of ‘Rohnert Park‘. What this is instead is a well-constructed, meticulously crafted and full-of-attitude punk album. It is not the most forceful record, but neither does it fade into the background. It is as much a tribute to the golden days of punk as it is a modern interpretation. Yes, ‘Zoo’ will divide fans, but undoubtedly it will attract an entire bunch of new ones. CEREMONY are not trying to distance themselves from the scene in which they are housed, but have created an album that may broaden the minds of their following. Although the album has its flaws, on ‘Zoo’ CEREMONY have stated that punk rock lives on in 2012.
BEN TIPPLE