Grimey punk at its most pure
September 15, 2011
Sabertooth Zombie’s “Human Performance III” is heavy enough to make the Melvins stop and listen. The release contains tactful guitar solos picking along to pounding drumbeats that would make Mitch Mitchell do more than tap his foot.
The Santa Rosa-based band released its third “Human Performance” in the series of EP’s on Friday in Berkeley at The 924 Gilman Street Project.
Twelve Gauge Records released the three-song EP was released on a seven-inch vinyl and holds true to the format of the previous “Human Performance” releases in both artwork and musical style.
Cody Sullivan’s lyrical style is consistent with the first two records in the “Human Performance” series, also released on Twelve Gauge, and read like descriptive creative writing pieces.
Sullivan’s lyrics have always come across as abstract, which is a big plus when it comes to creativity; it would be a struggle to hear redundant lines featured in the song thousands of times before.
The second track, “Send The Pigs,” depicts the story of a plan to rob a fast-food establishment. “I know where the guy from Mc Donald’s deposits the cash and we can get 20 grand if we grab it fast,” Sullivan yells. He then goes into what sounds like a taunt “Send the pigs, send the feds, I got 36 slugs for their snitching heads.”
The band has certainly progressed throughout its releases and has increasingly upped the jam factor with each record by breaking away from traditional short fast hardcore-punk songs.
The EP begins with a track titled “The Haunting Of Apartment 6.” High-pitched laughter fades into a sludge-paced bass line to set the mood of the record. When the music reaches its peak, vocals are engaged and Sullivan’s message jumps out at you with intensity comparable to a high-speed police chase.
In the closing track, “Banana Milk,” Sullivan growls, “Sun fills the west with sweat, sin fills the west with sex.” He continues, “Old fools rapture themselves,” which references the song “Old Fools” from the band’s LP, “… And Your Fathers are Dead In The Ground.”
References to earlier albums create the feeling of the band being an entire project rather than continuous separate releases.
If 1970s rock‘n’roll came back from a 40-year-long, drug-induced motorcycle venture it would go by the name Sabertooth Zombie. This record would appeal to anyone who is a fan of punk, hardcore, metal, or even the classic rock fan looking to broaden his or her horizons.