ALBUM REVIEW: Desperation Blues – ZED
San Jose four-piece ZED have been attempting to stamp their mark on the music industry for almost two decades, and having performed in various projects since 1990, guitarist vocalist Peter Sattari, drummer Rich Harris and Mark Aceves didn’t complete their troupe until they added guitarist Greg Lopes to their ranks in 2007. Their 2013 debut album Desperation Blues, now up for re-release through Ripple Music (complete with new artwork) saw the band take strides to introduce their devil-may-care attitude and fizzing riffs to a limited audience having self-released it. Since then, the band followed it up with second album Trouble In Eden in 2016, gaining momentum along the way.
Armed with a sound that sits somewhere comfortably between stoner rock (without being overtly psychedelic) and headbang worthy heavy metal, it’s ZED’s first record that comes under the microscope here. Now, seeking an even wider audience in 2019, Desperation Blues establishes a pretty solid formula from their early days. Pounding drums are on a mission to race with fast moving pace while the guitars begin with bluesy melodies before lapsing into fuzzy, distorted riffs.
In Skin and Bones, vocalist Sattari’s gravelly tones tell us that ZED don’t want to answer to anyone, preferring to live life to fullest however which way they please. In The Empty Quarter/Settle The Score he offers a more complex insight into his vocal range, decidedly sombre in the verses before erupting with an aggressiveness in the chorus. Claiming to have crafted this record around religious tragedy, social reflection and struggles with mental anguish, ZED have chosen to tackled those themes in their own way, giving them life in a flurry of noise rather that sombre ballads.
It’s not until the middle of Desperation Blues that the stoner element to ZED’s sound arrives — up until Crawl Back To You it’s strictly classic rock. Lopes‘ delicate twanging feels as if it’s been plucked right out of the deep south, a lazy lolling that is a welcome break from the formulaic chugging of its predecessors. In More, it’s Mark Aceves who gets to take a spin in the spotlight, offering funkier bass lines before dropping back into a doomier tones.
Sadly, Desperation Blues comes with a huge pitfall right in it’s opener Please. Upon first listen, the rip-roaring chugging seems pleasant enough, as does Sattari’s rasping, but upon closer inspection the lyrics take a road down the path of misogyny. “You’re my milk and honey / but you better give me your money / soon I’ll have you on your knees / pretty soon you’ll be begging me please / please please please / get on your knees / please please please / you’ll be begging me please” he rasps. Taken in respect to the themes of the record, could those words be in the context of theology? Or some other profound meaning? Whatever the answer, it’s delivered in such a way that its meaning is lost here that makes for an uncomfortable listen in 2019 and leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
Despite the disappointing start to Desperation Blues, the kind of lyrics that can stay firmly in 2013, ZED’s debut album is a solid offering of anarchic riffs and playful blues. Whether it’s enough to attract new fans seven years after its initial release, well, only time will tell.
Rating: 6/10
Desperation Blues is out now via Ripple Music.
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