"Death in the Afternoon"...is that code for a sex thing?

The Outlaws of Zen ~ "Death in the Afternoon" (2013)

This four piece, from Michigan, have dubbed themselves The Outlaws of Zen. I don't know exactly how many "Zen-like" qualities they possess, but "The Outlaws" part seems to fit them pretty well, playing a down and dirty sort of Heavy/Retro Southern Rock. If you've come looking for spacey sounds and long, droning guitar chords, I suggest you keep scrolling because this isn't what you're looking for. But if you're looking for something to blast out of your stereo on the way to the race track or while you're just out drinking and causing trouble, this is exactly what you need in your life.

The title track "Death in the Afternoon" opens up with a funky sort of bass riff, which is shortly joined by the drums for a complete rhythm section jam for a few moments before the howling guitar and vocals drop in, with a certain amount of the dirt road bite that reminds the listener of Orange Goblin at certain points. The following song "Burning Bridges" is a little different, with the guitar having a bit more of a darker tone, along with the vocals being a little less prominent in the mix, but those classic, gravelly, slightly Southern fried, vocals are still right there. It serves to give the song a darker vibe than some of the others, but doesn't detract from that retro sounding riffs that back the whole thing up. The last song on the album "Hangovers Feel Better Than Regret", is a Blues influenced song through and through, the most mellow on the album, it shows their songwriting chops aren't only used for fast, no fuck giving Rock and Roll, but for deeper, Blues riff driven songs that to be just as heavy as the previous 5 tracks. When you compare it to the rest of the album, it's a fairly large departure from their tried and true sound, but it is also a superior closing track and probably my favorite of the album, with a soul filled vocal performance that seems to harken back to those good ole' Motown days in both vibe and emotion.

I've only touched on three of the six songs here, but if those I've talked about sound appealing, you'll dig the rest of it too. You can go check out their bandcamp and give the whole thing a listen, and get a pretty cheap download. Then if you're like me, got this album and wanted to hear what else they had to offer up, they have an EP from 2012 also, available as a name your price deal.
~Skip

For Fans Of; Orange Goblin, Clutch, Artimus Pyledriver, Throttlerod, Corrosion of Conformity

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Just Criminal...

The Outlaws Of Zen - Don't Bother Getting Up... We'll Let Ourselves In (2012)

Here's another little gem that appeared in my mailbox today, and just an FYI; if your email also contains the lines 'heavy riff based rock', 'the nation's leading murder per capita rate', and 'influenced by 70's obscure rock' then you're appearance on here is well and truly secured!
Hailing from Michigan you'd be forgiven for not immediately expecting to be met with that distinctive southern rock twang. But when I come to think about it, some of my favourite bands of that genre are actually some distance from sister marrying country - Maryland (Clutch), Oregon (Red Fang) and, well, Greece (Planet Of Zeus). None the less, that ethos is definitely flowing though these guys and most importantly it's working for them. But the one thing that really shines through for me is the vocal style. I call it the Neil Fallon school of heavy rock singing. Deep, thundering and profoundly southern sounding, then if that doesn't get your point across you just shout louder. That element coupled with a similar, yet wholly unique array of retro/deep south style riffs it sure makes for one hell of a mix. It's worked for Clutch for nearly 20 years and its working for these chaps now. In fact they're one of the very few who have managed to nail this perfect storm of southern rock elements and still remain some what individual and fresh. The recording doesn't follow this blueprint in its entirety though, instead infusing tones of classic metal and even smatterings of grunge in places. While this does serve to mix up the tracks a little all the best moments of the EP are well and truly rooted in the lets say, more confederate elements. In doubt? Well just have a listen to their track With The Swine, because if it doesn't conjure up visions dirty truckers, bar fights and moonshine then I think theres something fundamentally wrong with you.
Ultimately I think the guys could choose one of two roads to go down as and when they head to the studio and lay down a full length album. Either the 90's sorta sounding, slightly heavier Alice In Chains esque tone that some of the tracks (Boiling Point, Standard Double Standard) consist of. Or, and this would be my choice, just going completely balls out and delivering every single riff, beat and lyric with a pure rock fury, because if they can keep up the groove and shear power of tracks like Pornstache and the aforementioned With The Swine their follow up to this will not fail to blow everyone out of the water and I can't bloody wait!

For Fans Of; Clutch, Year Long Disaster, Planet Of Zeus, Viking Skull, Thunderfist

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Don't Bother Getting Up... We'll Let Ourselves In (320kbps)