Zozobra – Savage Masters | Review

“Savage Masters” is the first Zozobra record in five years, the longest-ever gap between albums for this project led by Cave In’s Caleb Scofield, and it barely lasts for more than 15 minutes. If they’re only able to write a quarter of an hour worth of songs during these five long years, they better come with something rather spectacular, otherwise the fans will feel slightly disappointed. Fortunately, they do. I mean, when six tracks rush in and kick you hard before you even know what hit you, it’s a sign they’re doing something right.
Furious, noisy and raging, “Savage Masters” sees Zozobra eschewing the psychedelic meanderings and downplaying the sludgy elements of their prior releases in favour of a faster and more frantic approach. The group has completely rebuilt their sound since their last effort “Bird of Prey” and their focus these days resides in raging, aggressive riffs, heavy bass, pounding drums and raw, blood spitting screams, projecting a real sense of danger and fury. “Black Hole” for instance sounds like a more streamlined Converge, while “A Chorus of War” resonates with a crushing intensity that reminds me of Integrity. In a recent interview we did with Scofield, he mentioned that this effort was entirely recorded live at Translator Studio and it definitely shows as all songs surge out of the speakers with the same power of an intense live performance. Trust me when say that it will feel like these three guys are playing in your living room. 

Band info: www.facebook.com/ZozobraOfficial 
Label info: www.brutalpandarecords.com