Sabertooth Zombie – ‘Human Performance IV’

By Glen Bushell

The chances are that you will have read about Sabertooth Zombie in various interviews or features across the Internet, but you may not know much about them. They have been traversing the underground scene for sometime now, and have garnered an almost mythical status within punk rock, yet they have still managed to put out no less than 15 releases in their time, and have steadily progressed their sound each time around.

Hailing from Rohnert Park, the same Californian city as critically acclaimed punks Ceremony, Sabertooth Zombie have now unleashed the fourth and final instalment of their ‘Human Performance’ series, and it shows the band taking their sound to a new area. They also wouldn’t be the first band to indulge in outside substances to help unlock their minds, however the claim that ‘Human Performance IV’ was recorded with a heavy use of medical marijuana is justified, as they have embraced a slower tempo, stoner rock feel that has clearly been influenced by the power of “the leaf”.

While their penchant for a groove has been laced throughout all their releases, it has often been shrouded by furious hardcore punk, however the dirty riffs of ‘The Headache’ shakes off the blistering nature of their past. This is far more down tuned punk n’ roll than hardcore, all carried by the throaty drawl of vocalist Cody Sullivan, and even when the slow burning ‘Coffin Coast’ lowers the tempo, and may not be as frantic as some of their earlier output, it is no less intense.

In a similar manner to that of their hometown brothers Ceremony, the band never stick at one thing too long for fear of repeating themselves. The swagger of ‘Gardens Of Loss’ is a fuzzed-out, head-banging romp, before dropping into the southern sludge of the appropriately named ‘Crazy Endings’. The feedback drenched guitar riffs could almost induce psychosis by themselves, all adding to the intoxicating nature of ‘Human Performance IV’.

The direction that Sabertooth Zombie have moved into on this EP has been executed perfectly, yet this is not a cheerful EP to match the Californian sun, but then often some of the darkest and gloomiest music has been made on the West Coast of America. It may take a few listens to digest properly, but when you peel back the layers, the unpredictability of ‘Human Performance IV’ twists and turns to make it a thoroughly intriguing EP.

GLEN BUSHELL

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