ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge
4/5
I cannot say that I remember what my exact thoughts were, when I was first informed that the name of the next band whose album I would have to write a review for was Zippo, but I was relatively confident about two things: a) that there would be little relevance between this album and the refillable metal lighter that was first produced back in 1933 and made popular by the US army during WWII, and b) that this would be anything but a normal band. Both my suspicions were confirmed the moment I got my hands on a copy of the band's second full length effort entitled "The Road To Knowledge" - a thirteen track album which combines, in equal quantities, elements of Stoner and Prog Rock in such a smart and inspiring way that will be impossible for fans of good quality music not to appreciate. Formed in Pescara/Italy back in 2004, this impressive quintet seems to have evolved quite significantly over these past four years, with the bio mentioning them being a band that "play a thousand-faces-stoner rock, from massive and pachydermic sounds to moments of quietness and peace". And this is only partly descriptive of what Zippo have to offer in the year 2009. Yes, you should indeed expect to hear simply crafted and heavily distorted guitar riffs capable of bringing the roof down, however, what you should also be prepared for are long interludes based on simple/mesmerising melodies that provide the foundations from which compositions of experimental nature will be brought to life.
Though quite interesting, the one minute intro "Don Juan's Words" is not at all indicative of what this album is all about, so the honours were instead handed over to "El Sitio" - a five minute percussion-driven composition which brings to light the impressive combination of Prog and Stoner Rock that I mentioned in the opening paragraph of my review. I was then introduced to the wonderfully crafted same-titled composition "The Road To Knowledge" - a five minute piece based on a dangerously infectious tribal drum/percussion theme which is supported by beautifully performed guitar and Moog melodies that are clearly inspired by the music of bands such as Tool and Fates Warning. Sounds interesting, right? Wait, 'cause there's more!
"He is Outside Us" is a one minute acoustic guitar composition whose purpose is not only to help you recover from the previous musical 'onslaught', but also to prepare you for "Chihuahua Valley" - a song whose funky Tool sounding groovy breaks and constant rhythmical manipulation of rhythm makes it one of the most experimental and technically demanding of the album. Other compositions of a similar nature are "El Enyerbrado" and "The Smoke Of Diviners", both indulging in short jazzy themes and supporting unusual rhythmical structures. Heaviness and aggression, though, are not the only two emotions that this album wishes to impose on its audience; compositions such as "Ask Yourself a Question" and "Three Silver Crows" are testimonies to the band's ability to create long passages that are heavily fused with atmospheric Moog melodies and tribal-orientated percussion themes, creating a nice counterweight to the previously-mentioned technical ‘beasts’.
This impressive Prog/Stoner Rock album came into my hands at the right time, as I was in desperate need of a break from the Death/Black Metal albums that I have been recently reviewing. Though not quite what you would describe as a groundbreaking effort, "The Road To Knowledge" is the result of a well co-ordinated effort by a very talented band which is not afraid to indulge in their influences while, at the same time, being quite close to establishing their own personal style and sound. I truly hope that this is the beginning of better things to come and I am really looking forward to hearing more from them in the hopefully near future. Ben fatto, ragazzi!
John Stefanis
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