CoC : Zona - Splattiparty : Review

Zona - _Splattiparty_
(Negatron Records, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (2 out of 10)

The black sheep of the first four Negatron releases, _Splattiparty_ is a live album consisting of some bland metal with one of the most annoying vocalists I can remember hearing on record. This is not necessarily due to the Italian lyrics; it's just that the voice itself, what he does with it, and the way he often spurts out words at a rate of at least ten per second all contribute to the building of a massive barrier that I am unable to cross in order to possibly enjoy the rest of their music. Then again, there's not much that could be interesting beyond that psychological barrier: besides some occasional efforts from the bass player to break the lethargic monotony of this succession of uninspired riffs, there's hardly anything else to be noticed. Maybe the fact that this is a live recording has something to do with Zona's inability to inject some energy and vitality into their music (let alone anything deeper than that), but then, if that's the case, what's the point in releasing a live record as if the band has a great collection of albums behind them? So, assuming the band is supposed to be particularly good live, I can see no excuses for the blandness and general mediocrity of the music showcased here. Fortunately, the other Negatron releases reviewed in this issue show a lot more promise than this one, and certainly the label can grow from those towards more remarkable releases.

Contact: negatron@tin.it

(article published 20/11/2000)