ZOZOBRA: NEW ALBUM ON THE WAY!

Of all the bands spawned by Cave In’s breakup, Zozobra — helmed by Cave In bassist Caleb Scofield — were loudly and declaratively the heaviest. They were also the best; while his bandmates dabbled in snoozy solo projects and atmospheric guitar pop, Scofield cranked up the volume and the fuzz and let loose two furious albums of thunderous riffs, stoney vibes, heady arrangements and instantly memorable songs. Fans of Intronaut, Torche, Isis and The Ocean unite: it’s all right here, and if you blinked you might’ve missed it.

So I know our very own Kip Wingerschmidt will share my excitement with the following news: four years after the release of their last album, Zozobra are headed back to the studio, according to a press release. Next month the band will be tracking with Andrew Schneider (Pelican, Cave In) at Translator Audio in Brooklyn (hey bros that’s down the block from the Vince Division of the MS Mansion!) and looking towards a fall release through Brutal Panda Records. But there’s a catch. Here’s Scofield:

This release is shaping up to be one of the more focused, cut throat group of songs to be heard from this band. Drawing heavily on a more punk and hardcore influence, the mid tempo heady riffage has been replaced with angry, driving thrash and ear splitting sonics that take far less time and effort at getting to the point.

That statement actually worries me and softens my boner for new Zozobra a bit. The “mid tempo heady riffage” is precisely what I liked about the band, and I’m not one for “a more punk and hardcore influence”… I’m so not a hardcore guy. And I appreciated that their music sounded like it took a lot of time and effort. So… um… not quite sure what to expect here and I’m not sure if I’ll even like it nearly as much as I did Zozobra’s two prior efforts. But I trust these dudes to deliver the goodness, so I guess I’ll be cautiously optimistic.

-VN