Zoo Babies
The Fine Art of Self-Destruction
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
This project, which has apparently been on the back-burner for awhile, is the self-produced work of Steve Curtsinger and Jerry McBroom (both formerly of Bride). Definitely a departure from Bride, this 10-song disc has a nice aggressive feel to its decidedly hard alternative sound. Rapid fire distorted guitars sometimes slam the brakes to float into some dreamy vocals. While the overall production misses a little bit of headroom (I can't seem to turn it up loud enough), the pieces of the puzzle are very good. I really like the guitar tones and vocals. For a musical reference, think hyper Grammatrain or Alice in Chains covering Audio Adrenaline songs without the limitations of a "Nashville sound" to cater to. Lyrically, the band writes with a staccato delivery in mind, making it seem like the songwriter was drinking a lot of coffee while penning these tunes. Introspective, yet full of nervous energy and decidedly dark. While not of the billboard variety, it is obvious upon close inspection that these songs either cry out to the Lord or are prayers to Him for change.