Search - Zebrahead :: Phoenix (W/Dvd)

Zebrahead is Back With a Vengeance!

Andrew E. Kaiser | St. Louis | 08/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To start off, I have been a Zebrahead fan since their initial independent release. They have been one of very few bands who have been able to mature in sound while staying true to their roots. That being said, I was skeptical when lead singer Justo left the band after their then best effort, MFZB. I was curious to see just how much the transformation would affect Zebrahead's music. Broadcast to the World in my opinion (although a great album) was almost a redo of sorts, as if they decided to pretend MFZB never happened. It was an album that in a way revisited a lot of the sounds and style explored in Playmate of the Year, with the catchy lyrics and energetic sound. I loved the cd, but wished they would have incorporated some of the break through sounds they used in MFZB.



Then came Phoenix, Zebrahead's latest effort, and although I greatly anticipated the album, I had no idea what to expect. What else can I say? It is fantastic. It is their most complete and entertaining album to date. The album maintains the style used in Broadcast to the World and incorporates influences from their previous albums, including a few from Waste of Mind which should satisfy my fellow old school Zebrahead fans. The sounds range from hardcore (HMP) to pop and catchy (Mental Health, also their first single) and everything in between. Ali sounds better than ever with his rapping, while Matty's vocals have made dramatic improvements from Broadcast to the World (still not quite as good as Justo's were but pretty darn close, at times you cant tell the difference), creating the balance between rap and rock that nobody does better than Zebrahead.



Overall, it is in my opinion their best effort so far. It is obvious that the band put forth a tremendous effort to construct this album, and hopefully they are rewarded by finally breaking through the barrier to become and A-list band. If you have ever enjoyed a Zebrahead album, it is my strongest recomendation that you purchase this cd. You definitely will enjoy it, and it could go down as one of the best cd's of the year.

"

An underrated band

Mentawais | 08/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am not much of a fan of rap metal or rap, but being zebrahead fan since playmate of the year, i've grown to like them more with each album. For this latest album, it is awesome. I am sad to see that they do not get much recognition since a lot of bands are not as innovative and original as zebrahead. However everyone would know zebrahead, right? anyways highly recommended that you get this album if you're a fan of zebrahead, or just another person who wants to blast this album and broadcast this to the world!"

Hopefully, Zebrahead will burn to ash soon

William Schnarr | Bremerton, WA | 07/10/2010

(1 out of 5 stars)

""Phoenix" is a continuation of the spiraling path Zebrahead is going down into Hell. Ali has repetitive, samey lyrics and a completely abysmal delivery that follows a similar and common style in every song. Matty contributes a very small amount to every song, and his parts, while not bad, suffers from the vapid lyrics that are present in this album. All musicians follow the same formula in how they play for every song, and Bergdorf's solos and melodies start to feel overdone, recycled and tedious. The sole track with any redeeming factors is "The Juggernauts," though the other tracks suffers from horrendous lyrics and identical nature between every song. Zebrahead has been doomed the moment they tried mainstream, and this is living, breathing proof of that."