REVIEW ON 'STONERROCK.HU' (Hungary)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

9/10

Hopefully there is no need to introduce the Italian Zippo to the Hungarian stoner audience because the band is a regular visitor of our country for a few years now and not only in Budapest but in Szeged as well. The last time they graced us with their presence was last October when they were touring with their album The Road To Knowledge. Nevertheless the album is still fresh because the distribution on a larger scale only started during the beginning of 2009.

Their current line up - Dave (vocals), Sergente (guitar), Devis (guitar), Stonino (bass) and Ferico (drums) was settled just before the publishing of the album when the place of Slivio the previous guitarist was filled by Devis who used to play thrash/death. Since the album was already done Devis didn’t have much say regarding the new material, nevertheless, there are significant changes since their 2006 debut album Ode To Maximum.

The basis of the album was Carlos Castaneda’s The Teachings of Don Juan which tells us about the author’s meeting and experience with a Yaqui Indian sorcerer. Mind altering herbal concoctions, spirits, invocations of gods and encounter with death makes a great starting point to a stoner rock album. The most obvious difference the album makes in the light of their previous one is the minimal amount of stoner and doom themes used in songs, for sake of example take the sixth track Kid in the Desert into consideration as the song entirely lacks both. Instead, what we have here is a psychedelic feeling built up from progressive ideas, not only in the case of instruments but in Dave’s singing style as well, which can be rarely heard from a stoner group, particularly not for a whole album. Regarding the rhythm of the album one can find other peculiar things as well, like the South-American musical root which is not surprising, however as to how well the band performs it, it should be noted. It is not uncommon to experience sudden shifts during songs which give a unique impulse to the whole album. It would be pointless to mention songs individually because all of them are well written and diverse which can also be said about the lyrics - no wonder, since it is a concept album - basically it serves as the basis of the whole thing.

Although it is not my habit to give scores, if I really had to I would give it 9 out of 10, a different kind of music compared to Ode To Maximum but still Zippo.

http://www.stonerrock.hu/

REVIEW ON 'SILENTSCREAMZINE.COM' (Italy)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

7,5/10

Tutti coloro che trovano lo stoner di Kyuss o Corrosion Of Conformity troppo psichedelico e stordente, ed il post-metal di Pelican o Mastodon eccessivamente ridondante e narcisistico, possono rivolgersi a questa ditta a nome insolito Zippo che può rappresentare un ideale punto d’incrocio tra le band succitate. E siccome qualche volta l’abito fa pure il monaco, anche la musica risulta sostanzialmente coerente con un simile monicker. Il quintetto abruzzese, che già vanta all’attivo l’ottimo “Ode To Maximum” del 2006, si accasa presso la lungimirante Subsound Records e sforna un album che prende spunto dall’opera di Carlos Castaneda “Gli insegnamenti di Don Juan: una via Yaqui alla Conoscenza” per dare corpo ad un concept che musicalmente pare abbastanza evoluto: si parte dai generi consolidati (lo stoner, ma anche l’heavy settantiano tipo penultimi Metallica) per poi lasciare il campo a deliranti fughe psichedeliche e ad inaspettati sussulti crossover. “Chihuahua Valley”, ad esempio, pare possedere l’afflato istrionico di certi System Of A Down. Brani come la title-track, un lungo crescendo che fa salire gradualmente il livello di intensità e di coinvolgimento, oppure la inquietante “Ask Yourself A Question”, con il suo incedere noir, mostrano una notevole capacità di interpretazione, che va a complementare una scrittura matura e maestosa, serrata ed impetuosa. Che il peyote o i funghi allucinogeni come alleati per perseguire la strada della conoscenza sia un argomento da amanti della psichedelia, non sembra essere troppo originale. Il modo di sviluppare il concept, invece, pone gli Zippo in una condizione di interessanti cultori della materia. Soprattutto perchè i loro viaggi strumentali riescono a simulare alla perfezione quelli che si dovrebbero percorrere con le sostanze allucinogene. Che altro aggiungere? Stupefacente.

Flavio Ignelzi

www.silentscreamzine.com

REVIEW ON 'PSYCHOTROPIC ZONE' (Finland)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

Zippo is an Italian band who have prior to this album released on more stoner rock styled record by themselves. You can find my review at the Psychotropic Zone site. The sound of the band has changed heavier and more progressive and is now close to some modern metal bands (Isis,Down, Mastodon etc.) but also includes some psychedelic elements. At times they rock on fast with fierce energy, sometimes they get very peaceful and atmospheric. The Road to Knowledge has been inspired by Carlos Castaneda’s book “The Teachings of Don Juan”.

After the psychedelic intro the technical, rather fast and at times heavier “El Sitio” progresses tightly in 5/4 time signature. “The Road to Knowledge” starts off in a pretty serene mode, but then there some heavier stuff with screaming vocals. A pretty nice number. Then comes the short, mellow and acoustic interlude ”He Is Outside Us” and after that the bouncing ”Chihuahua Valley” that somehow reminds me of System of a Down. ”Ask Yourself a Question” is at first beautiful, laid-back atmospheres, but soon grows inito quite hypnotic going in the vein of Tool. One of my favorites on the album! ”Lizards Can’t be Wrong” is a quiet and meditative track with harmonic, wordless monk choir. The tight and heavy, bouncing ”El Enyerbado” includes roaring vocals and is again liek System of a Down but without the melodic chorus. next we hear a heavy and progressive number entitled “The Smoke of Diviners” and half of it is softer stuff. Then comes another acoustic track ”Reality Is What I Feel”. The technical and hard-hitting “Three Silver Crows” is a peaceful, soft and a bit bluesy track with keyboards that does change into slow, heavy stoner rock in the middle. The album is finished with the pretty, laid-back and almost instrumental “Diablera” that has acoustic guitar, bass, percussion and keyboards as well as quiet humming. A very nice ending!

This album might take several rounds before it starts to open up, but after that the album proved at least for me to be a very enjoyable, rather original experience. Worth trying out. The band can also be heard on the two most recent, interesting Italian free download compilation albums called Desert Sound (www.perkele.it/desertsound.htm).

Dj Astro

www.unimeri.com/PsychotropicZone

REVIEW ON 'ROCK AND ROLL ARMY' (Spain)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

Interesante propuesta la de esta banda de Pescara, Italia. Formados en el año 2004, "The Road to Knowledge" es su segundo álbum, tras su debut autoproducido titulado "Ode to Maximum", y que fue editado en el año 2006. Tras algún cambio de formación por razones personales de uno de sus miebros, a finales del año pasado se editaba el disco que nos ocupa, aunque su distribución internacional no ha comenzado hasta principios de este mismo año.

De clara vocación conceptual, "The Road to Knowledge" está basado de manera libre en el libro del antropólogo Carlos Castaneda "The Teachings of Don Juan", controvertida obra en la que el autor habla de su experiencia junto a un chamán que le introdujo en la cultura y ritualismo tolteca llamado Juan Matus.

Con tan particular punto de partida, es de imaginar que el contenido musical del álbum no sea demasiado accesible, pero no por ello carente de interés. Difícil de clasificar, "The Road to Knowledge" es un disco en cierta manera oscuro que contiene elementos del Metal, del Stoner e incluso del Rock progresivo, aunque dichas etiquetas pueden dar una imagen equivocada de su contenido. Porque "The Road to Knowledge" va mucho más allá. Pretende ser una experiencia espiritual no apta para todos los oidos que nos lleve mucho más allá de la simple música. Trece temas para escuchar atentamente, en silencio, empapándonos de todas sus diferentes atmósferas y texturas. Sin duda un disco a tener en cuenta y que seguramente tendría mayor reconocimiento de tratarse de una banda anglosajona.

REVIEW ON 'HEAVYIMPACT.NET' (Italy) > TOP ALBUM

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

9/10

« Per me c'è solo il viaggio su di un cammino che abbia "un cuore", qualsiasi strada che ha un "cuore"... Lì io cammino, e la sola sfida di valore per me è il percorrerla tutta. E lì io vado e ricorro, guardando e, osservando, rimirando senza fiato.. senza mai stancarmi »

In tale affermazione, volta alla continua ricerca di sé (e attraverso essa, al riconoscimento dell'altro da sé), si cela l'essenza di questo nuovo lavoro degli Zippo. Un lavoro, dotato di una maturità disarmante, una maturità che fa ormai dello stoner rock, solo uno strumento, atto a rimandare ad altro da sé, una maturità che rende The Road To Knowledge, un piccolo manifesto avanguardista, capace di ricreare, attraverso il proprio sound, atmosfere che vanno a ritagliarsi un piccolo spazio, in quella che potrebbe essere definita "categoria dello spirito".

Tali atmosfere, vengono generate da un cropus sonoro, che si nutre (oltre al classico assetto strumentale della band), di: moog, dulcimer e banjo, e che riesce che far proprie, tentazioni psichedeliche, stacchi ritmici progressive e reminiscenze seventies, che vanno ad arricchire una solidissima base stoner rock, che ha punti di riferimento, con la scena di Palm Desert (Kyuss, Fu Manchu).

Lungo tutta la propria durata (59 minuti), The Road To Knowledge, ci propone un sound caldo, vibrante, che riesce ad associare, ricercatezza ed aggressività, senza mai risultare artificioso, su tutto si staglia, la magistrale prova del singer, Dave, dotato di una timbrica che riesce a mutare nel proprio divenire, calda ed ammaliante (assolutamente da incorniciare la prestazione, in quel piccolo capolavoro che risponde al nome di Three Silver Crows), o aggressiva, dagli umori acidi (come in El Sitio).

Dal punto di vista concettuale, l'album prende in esame "Gli Insegnamenti di Don Juan" di Carlos Castaneda, un testo che affronta, il concetto del sapere, dal punto di vista, sciamanico (e per questo, originalissimo, distante da ogni disciplina accademica), questo concetto legato alla volontà di sapienza, passa attraverso la creazione di paradisi artificiali, visti come, strumenti atti a soddisfare il "gusto dell'infinito", che risiede in ogni uomo.

Un lavoro, che mostra una band matura, capace di ricreare, qualcosa che va oltre il mero prodotto di consumo (quale può essere un cd).

Un, vero e proprio viaggio, sonoro e concettuale, che proprio per questo suo modo d'essere, esige un ascoltatore accorto, pronto ad accogliere (come ben mostrato dalla cover), lo strumento di conoscenza definitivo.

Andrea Angelino

www.heavyimpact.net

REVIEW ON 'STORMBRINGER.AT' (Austria)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

3,5/5

Stoner-Rock und Drogen gehören nun mal fix zusammen, weshalb ein Konzeptalbum, das sich mit dem Buch “Die Lehren des Don Juan“ von Carlos Castanedas befasst, eine nachvollziehbare und auch reizvolle Idee zu sein scheint. Sowohl textlich als auch musikalisch haben sich ZIPPO bei der Umsetzung ihres Konzeptes viel Mühe gegeben, auch wenn sie bei aller Experimentierfreudigkeit ein wenig auf die Atmosphäre vergessen haben.

In ihrem Bemühen um eigene Ideen, ähneln ZIPPO den Kroaten von GOOD DAY TO DIE, die ebenfalls eine individuelle Linie, fernab der typischen BLACK SABBATH Klone gefunden haben. Allerdings geht bei aller Überambition öfters der berühmte rote Faden verloren, und auch bei der Qualität der einzelnen Songs, sind relativ großen Schwankungen erkennbar. Das Spektrum reicht vom richtigen Kracher („Ask yourself a Question“), bis zum Totalausfall („El Stitio“), und beschert dem Hörer ein wahres Wechselbad der Gefühle. Da passt es dann auch ganz gut ins Bild, dass der eigentlich recht akzeptable Sänger, teilweise völlig daneben liegt („El Enyerbado“), oder unnötigerweise an manchen Stellen versucht Mike Patton zu kopieren.

Man merkt zwar, dass ZIPPO mit “The Road to Knowledge“ etwas Großes erschaffen wollten, nur ist ihnen trotz aller Bemühungen nicht jede Idee zu hundert Prozent aufgegangen. Die Platte hat durchaus ihre Momente, kann in ihrer Gesamtheit aber nicht rundum überzeugen. Aufgeschlossene Stoner-Fans sollten dennoch ein Ohr riskieren, da man hier zumindest einmal Musik abseits der üblichen Standards zu hören bekommt.

bender

www.stormbringer.at

REVIEW ON 'METALUNDERGROUND.COM' (USA)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

4,5/5

There are times, in music, for smoke and psychedelic sunsets. There are also times for the crushing bliss of total immersion in distorted guitars and drums. With a sound consisting of an informed blend of both these styles, Zippo have created an undeniably triumphant record, both paying homage to the lords of progressive stoner metal and making a bid for lordship themselves.

Hailing from Pescara, Italy, this five-piece band channels a rapturous dark progressive trance on “The Road to Knowledge.” The musical stylings have much to do with the inspiration behind the album – Carlos Castaneda’s highly-discussed book “The Teachings of Don Juan,” about his experiences with a Yaqui Indian shaman. To get a good picture of this, imagine Mastodon jamming with Porcupine Tree main man Steven Wilson on an album in a smoke-filled warehouse in Mexico while several natives perform various sorcery rites in the center of the room. Indeed, the dark and low sides of the album are bold and focused, while the highs are bright, boomy, psychedelic, and bludgeoning.

The guitar and bass work is especially technical for stoner metal, although there aren’t any overtly technical passages. Their groove contributes much to the southern sludgy sound, recalling Down, Black Sabbath, and some Mastodon at times. This is especially noticeable on tracks like “Three Silver Crows” and “The Smoke of Diviners,” while a distinct In Flames/Opeth influence can be heard on the acoustic passages of “Reality is What I Feel” and “He is Outside Us.” The really heavy parts of the album, which are also where the progressive elements show themselves most, are on songs like “Chihuahua Valley”, “El Enyerbado”, and “Mitote.” On these, the band creates an effortlessly ebbing and flowing stream of different time signatures, passages with percussive elements, and rising musical movements. The vocal stylings range from pachydermic distorted vocal screams to harmonized clean singing and onward to eerie whispered spoken word, giving a lot of color to the sound.

Rising stars in the progressive stoner rock category, Zippo are well on their way to success with this incredible sophomore release, which was expertly recorded and mixed in Italy at Twelve Studio by Andrea Di Giambattista and Francesco Di Florio. There’s a real sense of the utilization of sonic space to this album that sets it apart from most other releases in the genre. “The Road to Knowledge” was also mastered in California at Golden Studio by John Golden (Neurosis, The Melvins, Primus). This album is a must have for fans of Mastodon, Porcupine Tree, Isis, Down, and Pelican.

Highs: Bludgeoning stoner groove, fat and clear production, sustained intensity, sense of space in the music, and powerful low points.

Lows: The vocals could be a bit louder in the mix.

Bottom line: This a shining chunk of great progressive stoner metal/rock for fans of Mastodon, Porcupine Tree, Isis, and Pelican.

Progressivity_In_All

www.metalundergound.com

REVIEW ON 'THE-PIT.DE' (Germany)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

7,5/10

Die Wüste Italiens

Stoner Rock – eigentlich eine Musikrichtung, die man vorrangig mit den staubigen und trockenen Gebieten Amerikas verbindet, doch Zippo kommen überraschenderweise aus Italien. Schlechter als die Vorreiter auf diesem Gebiet macht die Band ihre Sache jedoch keinesfalls, denn hier werden geschickt psychedelische Elemente mit dem üblichen Stoner-Sound verbunden.

Mit jeder Menge kurioser und außergewöhnlicher Instrumente, wie einem Banjo oder einem Hackbrett, verleihen Zippo ihrer Musik einen ganz eigenen Stil. Für die psychedelischen Einflüsse sorgen oftmals die Moog-Syntheziser, die häufig über den komplexen Songgerüsten wabern. Leicht zugänglich ist die Musik nämlich nicht, oft wiederholen sich Riffs und Melodien innerhalb eines Liedes immer wieder, ohne dabei jedoch simpel zu wirken. Der Vorteil dabei ist, dass die Tracks durch die progressiven Strukturen angenehm unvorhersehbar daherkommen und einige Überraschungen bereithalten.

Die Gitarren sind genre-bedingt enorm tiefergelegt und geben den härteren Stücken eine gesunde Portion Aggressivität, wobei sie oftmals durch akustische Klänge abgelöst werden. Die staubtrockene Produktion passt wunderbar zu der Atmosphäre des Albums, generell wird jede Menge Wüsten-Flair geboten. Auf technischer Ebene fällt insbesondere das sehr abwechslungsreiche Schlagzeugspiel auf, das zudem einen angenehm druckvollen Klang bietet. Der Gesang steht die meiste Zeit nicht im Vordergrund, auch wenn die Stimme recht vielseitig eingesetzt wird. Meistens wird rauer, doch melodischer Gesang geboten, der sich aber ähnlich wie die Riffs oft wiederholt. Ab und zu wird auch mal tief und klar gesungen oder sogar geschrien, was aber nur in wenigen Tracks vorkommt.

Besonders auffällig sind das Intro, das Outro und die drei Interludes, die sich musikalisch stark vom Rest der CD unterscheiden. So wartet „Reality Is What I Feel“ mit mexikanisch anmutenden Akustik-Gitarren auf, die einen wunderbar in die staubige Welt des Albums hineinziehen. Bei „Lizards Can't Be Wrong“ hingegen tönen hypnotische mehrstimmige Gesänge aus den Lautsprechern, die sich über vier Minuten erstrecken.

Abseits dieser außergewöhnlichen Stücke wird rauer Stoner Rock geboten, wobei insbesondere Songs wie „El Sitio“, in denen sich melodische Parts mit harten abwechseln, zu begeistern wissen. Bei psychedelischen Tracks wie „The Road To Knowledge“ oder „The Smoke Of Diviners“ kommen dann die bereits erwähnten Instrumente wie das Hackbrett zum Einsatz, die die Songs ohne Frage bereichern. Auf „El Enyerbado“ verbinden Zippo gekonnt leichte Thrash-Einflüsse mit den tiefen Stoner-Gitarren, wodurch sich ein recht eigenständiger Sound ergibt. Mit „Three Silver Crows“ hält die Platte dann noch einen schleppenden, überlangen Song bereit, der mit Piano-Klängen und tiefem Gesang beginnt, bevor Hammond-Orgeln und das Banjo erklingen und das Stück in einem langen Screaming-Part endet.

Richtig funktioniert die CD allerdings erst mit den Texten, denn bei „The Road To Knowledge“ handelt es sich um ein Konzeptalbum, das sich mit den Drogenerfahrungen der Yaqui-Indianer beschäftigt. Das Thema wird auf eine sehr interessante und teilweise philosophische Art und Weise verarbeitet und bietet mit der schönen Aufmachung der Platte einen Kaufanreiz. So finden sich im Booklet einige faszinierende Zeichungen und Texte, die auf ungewöhnliche Weise aufgebaut sind.

Zippo beweisen mit „The Road To Knowledge“, dass auch im Stoner-Bereich Konzeptalben wunderbar möglich sind und haben ein äußerst anspruchsvolles Stück Musik aufgenommen, das sich nicht zum nebenbei-Hören eignet, aber wenn man sich mit ihm beschäftigt, den Hörer sofort in seinen Bann zieht. Die häufigen Wiederholungen werden zwar nicht jedem gefallen, passen aber genau wie die außergewöhnlichen Instrumente zu den Songs und verleihen der Band etwas Eigenständiges.

Erik Voeckler

www.the-pit.de

REVIEW ON 'UNDERGROUNDATTACK.IT' (Italy)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

76/100

A quanto pare “la via verso la conoscenza” intrapresa dagli Zippo sembra essere quella giusta.Dopo tre anni dal primo “Ode To Maximum” i ragazzi di Pescara tornano con un lavoro di altissima fattura, appunto “The Road To Knowledge” in cui mettono a fuoco tutti i loro punti di forza. La voce grattata nei momenti più rabbiosi di Dave risulta davvero pregevole e ricorda per certi versi il buon Mike Patton, mentre l’amalgama sonora fa pensare ai Tool di ultima generazione, ai pachidermici riff dei Mastodon o degli Isis filtrati con intermezzi latineggianti.Si potrebbe anche dire di ascoltare la lezione dei Kyuss, che alcune sonorità ricordano i Pelican, ma non siamo qui a soffermarci su questo, e il tutto è solo indicativo e quantomeno relativo.Gli spunti sono davvero tanti e interessanti e le divagazioni nelle parti più suonate fanno pensare ad una passione per sonorità più pesanti, anche se in conclusione nessuna delle influenze predomina sull’altra perché la loro somma è il tappeto su cui si poggia il sound degli Zippo.L’album è tecnicamente eccezionale e la produzione è ineccepibile, la cura dei particolari è massima e si riscontra una certa maturità, anche se ci sono degli appunti da fare.Le realizzazioni migliori risultano essere la titletrack “The Road To Knowledge” o “Ask Yourself A Question”, ovvero quelle dalla struttura più semplice e quadrata, mentre gli altri brani, comunque tutti di livello , risultano spesso dispersivi e alcuni elementi appaiono forzati.Un concept album monolitico e monumentale, ispirato al romanzo di Carlos Castaneda “Gli Insegnamenti di Don Juan”, un po’ faticoso sul finire, vista la durata complessiva dell’opera che sfiora l’ora esatta.L’ispirazione sudamericana del lavoro si ritrova in quasi tutti i brani e l’atmosfera è quella di terre e orizzonti lontani che i ragazzi abruzzesi sentono così vicine (non a caso l’intero lavoro è dedicato ai nativi americani…) e sembra vogliano renderli familiari anche a chi li ascolta.Comunque in conclusione, disco di tutto rispetto per una delle realtà più interessanti del nostro panorama underground.

Simone $$

www.undergroundattack.it

REVIEW ON 'METALEARTH.DE' (Germany)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

7/10

Von südlich des Alpenhauptkamms oder doch eher von westlich des Mississippi? So genau lässt sich das bei diesem Album nicht sagen. Zippo stammen zwar aus dem sonnigen Italien, aber „The Road To Knowledge“, was auch auf einem Buch beruht, in dem Drogenexperimente mit mexikanisch-amerikanischen Ureinwohnern geschildert werden, klingt mehr nach staubiger, weiter Wüstenebene.Das Intro „Don Juan's Words“, was schon dezent auf genanntes Buch hinweist – „The Teachings of Don Juan“ – besteht nur aus eindringlichem Geflüster und ein paar Tönen.Danach geht es mit einem bunten Sammelsurium unterschiedlichster Elemente weiter. Manche Stellen klingen schon fast nach Soulfly, „El Enyerbado“ zum Bleistift, während andere fast schon unhörbar leise und still sind und nur vor sich hin rieseln, wie „Lizards Can't Be Wrong“. Auch die Klangelemente sind vielfältig. In einem Moment ist es relativ normale Rockmusik - im nächsten kommen Didgeridoos ins Spiel und an einer anderen Stelle glaube ich sogar Froschquaken zu hören. Ich glaube fast, die Band hat sich nicht nur von dem Buch inspirieren lassen, sondern auch manche Dinge daraus selbst nachvollzogen...Die Produktion ist auch etwas seltsam. Manche Passagen klingen druckvoll und klar, während es an anderen so klingt, als seien im Lautsprecher Teile locker oder Wüstenstaub in die Anlage geraten.Das Album klingt stark nach Wüste wie gesagt, wer auf sowas steht, der dürfte sich damit auch schnell anfreunden. Alle anderen sollten sich überlegen, ob sie bei diesen musikalischen Extravaganzen nicht doch lieber erstmal probehören.

Johannes Wagner

www.metalearth.de

REVIEW ON ' MARIOSMETALMANIA.COM' (Netherlands)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

86/100

This is completely different music then the usual death metal that Mario sends me but my scepticism was quickly replaced by a brand new feeling. I liked it. Hahaha !!! This is the second cd by this band from Pescara Italy. The band is: Dave- vocals, Sergente -Guitar, Devis-guitar, Stonino-bass and Ferico- drums ;They have a self produced debut album recorded 2006 named 'Ode to Maximum' and since then the sound got heavier, darker and more psychedelic .This second piece is recorded and mixed in Italy and mastered in California by John Golden at Golden mastering Studio (Neurosis, Melvins,Primus). After this Silvio leaves the band due to personal reasons and is replaced by Devis. In summer 2008 Zippo signs a deal with Subsound records. Now something about the cd. It's a conceptual work inspired by the highly discussed book by Carlos Castaneda' The teachings of Don Juan' (1968) a true report of his experiences with a Yaqui Indian . I think they really captured the feeling of the journey in their songs. You can almost taste the peyote yourself !!! But you don't have to be stoned to enjoy this. I'm not. Some songs are really psychedelic but not over the top while other songs are melancholic and dark. And a song like Lizards can't be wrong is like a mantra. Perfect for yoga lovers. But most importantly, the cd really rocks. Very good vocals and although the cd lasts an hour it is varied enough to keep me interested. Well done.

Corinne van den Brand

www.mariosmetalmania.com

REVIEW ON 'ALTERNATIVENATION.DE' (Germany)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

7/10

Eine italienische Truppe, die sich von dem Werk des Anthropologen Carlos Castanedas "Die Lehren des Don Juan" über die Yaqui-Indianer inspirieren ließ und daraus ein Konzeptalbum werkelt? Und das im besten Stoner-Metal-Psychedelic-Mix? Nichts anderes aber definitiv nicht weniger machen Zippo aus den Quellen ihrer Inspiration und das geht kreuz und quer, hin und zurück durch die eklatanten Sound-Trips. Zudem wurde The Road To Knowledge von keinem geringerem als John Golden, der sich schon für Produktionen für die Melvins, Neurosis und Primus auszeichnete, abgemischt. Ein weiteres Zeichen für die Besonderheit dieser Band, die Queens Of The Stone Age eine gesalzene Prise Progressivität beifügen und sich durch 13 Songs läuten. Langeweile klingt anders und Nüchternheit auch. Zippo liefern eine gewaltige Sound- und Rhythmusschlacht, walzen mit brachialem Sound jegliche Sicherheiten platt und genießen ihren ganz eigenen Trip durch ihre Welt. Das ist geradewegs ansteckend und zieht ein blindes Folgen des Hörers auf die Road To Knowledge nach sich. Entziehen kann sich dieser Gewalt kaum jemand - folgen bleibt die bessere Alternative.

Michael Hinz
www.alternativenation.de

REVIEW ON 'METALTEAMUK.NET' (UK)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

How can you name a band "Zippo"? That sounds kitsch. If you judge these Italian dudes by the name of their band, you would say they won't have much to offer. Smoking isn't trendy any more. Luckily, "The road to knowledge" is actually very interesting. Based upon the thoughts of Carlos Castaneda and his "Teachings Of Don Juan", this psychedelic, twisted and slightly insane music passage comes across as really refreshing and complex.
It's like a mix of stoner rock with heavier bits here and there, avant-garde, drugged music from the 70's and something else; something hard to define. To me, it sounds like early Maudlin of the Well sometimes. Jazz, Latin music and metal influences all around. It’s really, hard to classify when you come down to it. There are times, when - while listening to something - you think, that there is more to it than meets the eye. That the vision was really clear from the beginning and that this particular bit of music wasn't created accidentally, even if it flows like a constant stream of consciousness. I have to say that I felt this while listening to Zippo. This CD definitely needs a lot of listening; it's not something which will grab you by the balls from the first airing. After spending another evening with "The road to knowledge" you will probably find out, that theme matches the music and vice versa. It is all bit hectic, uncontrolled and chaotic but it makes a lot of sense, and if only Carlos Castaneda would be around today - he would appreciate it. I am sure.
Not as controversial as the books of the influential Peruvian shaman, but still pumped with mescaline and layered in thin smoke, Italian Zippo can light the pipe of any open-minded listener in just few moments.

Wojtek Kutyla

www.metalteamuk.net

REVIEW ON 'METAL-MAYHEM.CO.UK' (UK)

ZIPPO - The Road To Knowledge

4,5/10

Zippo’s “The Road To Knowledge” may not be that omniscient in terms of completing something unique. However, it certainly possesses the ability to teach fellow students and elders on the progressive hovercraft, that an alt rock approach, (and I use alt rock in the loosest way possible) can be pulled off; even if some of the tracks are songs for the deaf. "The Road To Knowledge” is best described as a record set out to accomplish so much, that it fails to hit any milestones. However, with exploring such vast territory (minor psychedelic rock, grunge, stoner metal, heavy metal, alt rock), this is as niche a release as any. Even when plagued with the usual suspects of obvious song writing, and a shade duller than dull riff progressions, the album is able to combine enough elements into the brew to make a package that is full of depth. Furthermore, there are superlative ideas that have been thrown into these entries, but when combined are hopelessly confused. Zippo’s “The Road To Knowledge” is an overly sour mixed bag, that’s not quite worthy of your shelve space.

Andrew Danso

www.metal-mayhem.com.uk