Wild Zero

WILD ZERO live REVIEW, Northeast Performer!

Tunnel of Love / Diamond Mines /
Red Invasion / Wild Zero

The Lily-Pad
Cambridge, MA
June 17, 2006

The Lily-Pad, a quaint venue infamous for getting shut down by the cops after the first bands third song, had a loud but eclectic mix of Boston acts on this particular night. The audience was just as diverse; metal heads, young punks, old punks, and curious music fans with open minds filled the room.

Wild Zero was first, and offered a deafening brand of rock that straddles the line between hard-edged punk and heavy metal. Never sacrificing speed, the masculine riffs and fist-pounding choruses are hard rock at its best. Most of the band members appropriately wore horror movie T-shirts, as their songs would scare just about anybody who doesnt play their music at maximum volume. Despite the fresh tattoo on his hand, drummer Jesse Von Kenmore charged ahead, fiercely banging away in song after song of angry adrenaline. In short, its the kind of music a Motorhead fan would want to blast after finding out his 87 pick-up had been towed.

The next band, Red Invasion, was a blast from 1977; a loud-and-fast rock n roll outfit that took its cues right from the New York punk explosion. The bands catchy tunes would have been right at home at CBGBs, and is the kind of music that is too rarely heard nowadays. They sound like Johnny Thunders on speed (instead of heroin), with Stiv Bators on lead vocals. And rather than being slower and somewhat muddy like the Dead Boys, Red Invasion plays with a youthful energy that harkens back to the days of Chuck Berry. The two-minute blasts of pop/punk were really the treat of the night. This was also the bands last all-ages show for the summer, before going into the studio to record its second album.

The Diamond Mines was the third band of the night, and slowed things down after two roller coaster-speed sets. Not to say that the Mines was mellow, but rather played twitchy pop songs that would be right at home in the first generation of new wave. The bands offbeat love songs are for those who are tired of hearing singers insult authority and condone drugs and alcohol, but still want the same level of youthful energy and fun (thinking mans punk, in other words). Instead of the groups usual saxophonist, the lineup featured a keyboardist for this particular show, whose playing added rather than detracted, a feat that is difficult to do in a rock n roll band. The keyboard timing was perfect, recalling the subtle melodies and atmospheres created by Jerry Harrison decades ago. At one point, the crowded room got so hot, the lead singer nearly passed out, knocking over the ride cymbal. These werent feigned stage antics to try to shock the crowd; it was a brief but frightening moment in the middle of an impressively energetic live set. In short, The Diamond Mines was everything modern alternative rock should be, but so rarely is.

Tunnel of Love, the nights headliner, began literally seconds after The Diamond Mines had finished. Band members had set up their equipment in the middle of the room behind the audience, probably in the hopes of surprising the audience. The crowd spun around to see three shirtless men with shoulder-length hair, black gym shorts, and black-and-white striped tights. The only instruments were drums - wrapped, along with the amp, in white Christmas lights - as well as a guitar. The lead singer howled into his microphone, like a deeply troubled Iggy Pop walking into spectators in a daze. It was clear from the start that Tunnel of Love was not, and hasnt been, primarily about the music, but rather the performance as a whole. The music consisted merely of rudimentary riffs and primitive garage rock drum pounding, but the stage show was enough to hold the crowds attention on this night. The three would find the line of comfort and cross it, just enough to make everybody in the room blissfully uncomfortable. When the set was done, the lead singer left the microphone hanging off the amp, prompting deafening feedback to drown out all other sounds in the room. The three of them then stormed out, leaving everyone else to clasp their ears in a desperate attempt to drown out the insufferable and unanticipated encore.


Words by Matt Stepanski

www.tunneloflove666.com
www.thediamondmines.net
www.redinvasion.com
www.myspace.com/wildzero - Northeast Performer

Wild Zero Wild Zero
Recorded at New Alliance, Boston, MA
Engineered by Marc Schliecher
Produced by Marc Schliecher and Wild Zero
Mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East
Harking back to the ear-bleeding aural attack of Bostons Bullet Lavolta, Wild Zeros debut is a search-and-destroy blitzkrieg of punk-damaged (read: fast and snarling) hard rock. It also has the unique distinction of being the last album recorded at New Alliance studios infamous Boylston Street location which may or may not have something to do with the balls-out energy and attitude that this album oozes in spades. Featuring ex-members of the Marvels, the Cretins and the Stray Bullets, the fiery results speak for themselves, and in this case, the music really does do the talking. This is no-holds-barred testostorock for the PBR-swilling tattooed maniac in all of us.
Opening with the vicious economy of Battle Royale, a charging shout along anthem, the stage is set for the sonic assault to follow. The slow boogie fake-out opening of Curse of the Red Tiger belies the burning speedrock slammer it really is. Echoes of Thin Lizzy and Kiss on Get in the Tub point out the fact that Wild Zero leans far more to the rock side of punk rock. Burnt Knife and Capacitor are studies in fast, no-frills hard rock whose menacing titles give ample evidence that when it comes to bringing the noise, this group has the bases covered.
The final cut, Bachelor Party, closes this 8-song, 20 minute blur of fury with a Motorhead-meets-Fu Manchu rave-up. The performances are tight and spot-on and the excellent production highlights the fact that these chaps can play the devil out of a genre that tends to lack originality. Theres nothing extraneous in this collection of songs only one tune on the album exceeds three minutes, and thats only by a mere five seconds. For those annoyed with the saccharine punk-pop so prevalent these days, and seeking a blasting jolt of old school gut-punching adrenaline, Wild Zero has the ticket for your journey most likely in a 78 t-roof Camaro heading out to the bygone era of kick-ass rock n roll blasting at bonfire keggers in the woods. Duuuuude!! (Curve of the Earth)
-Chris Pearson
- Northeast Performer

Wild Zero

Curve of the Earth

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A furnace blast of motorcycle punk from this gang of Boston rabblerousers. Wild Zero (named after a Japanese zombie flick starring Guitar Wolf) consists of ex-Humanoids howler Clay N Ferno upfront, and a bunch of other tightly-wound dudes who are probably ex-somethings, too. To be honest, I wouldnt be surprised if the floorboards under the Wild Zero rehearsal space werent stuffed with the wormy corpses of ex-bandmates who were getting a little to soft for these punk n roll bruisers. After all, the chorus on opener Battle Royale goes This is how I killed my best friend! But its not all Japanese splatter flicks and revving, cycle-psycho guitars, theres a real wild beast throb to these tunes, and Clay when hes not belting the shit out full-tilt boogie even injects some honest to Christ melody into his vocals.

Only a little bit, though. Because melody is mostly for pussies. - Sleazegrinder