Review Summary: Overall MFZB proves to be a pop punk album, a step down in creativity from Waste of Mind's Ska influences, but it still one of the best albums of the pop punk genre. A wonderfull, if not the best, summer feeling pop punk band.
So this is the third major label release from the Orange County Pop-Punk band, Zebrahead.
The lead guitar opens the album with the fast strumming to Rescue Me and immediately it's evident that the band's changed its direction. The Ska influence that made them so unique has been completely stripped from their music and is nowhere evident on MFZB. They have become a pop punk band with little to help them stand out from all the other generic pop punk bands.
The difference? Zebrahead's MFZB is one of the best pop punk albums I've ever heard. I'm extremely picky when it comes to the music I listen to and rarely can I sit through an entire album without skipping eighty percent of its tracks. However with Zebrahead, everything's more diverse and skillfully panned out, thus only feeling the desire to skip one or two different tracks each time you go through the disk.
The guitar work in Zebrahead's music is much stronger than most pop punk bands, Over the Edge and Falling Apart both having strong openers that lead the song into a fast and bouncy punk feel. Greg's lead guitar work can be heard behind the vocals, whereas the rhythm guitar is cranked up to keep the faster, harder feel flowing. A number of effects and distortion pedals are used to give an extra kick and feel to several songs, being much more creative then the average pop punk band. Also there are some solos scattered throughout the album, although none of them seem to be all that difficult.
But what really makes this band stand out are their dual vocals. With Justin handling the poppy singing and Ali with the rapping, their vocals really stand out when compared to all other pop punk bands. Justin's voice has a feel-good aura to it whereas Ali's has a brutal in your face effect that adds a heavier feel to the songs, such as Alone and Type A. With the two contrasting vocals, it's hard for the album to seem repetitive, thus making it easily accessible to all listeners, as well as their open to extremely catchy tunes. Nearly any song on this album can get stuck in your head randomly.
However the drums and bass sections are a tad bit weaker then the guitar work. The bass is usually audible, which is a plus, and does more then hit a single note over and over so it's not really all that weak. The drums just seem to be keeping the pace for the songs, not really too many fills and nothing to difficult is done.
Overall MFZB proves to be a pop punk album, a step down in creativity from Waste of Mind's Ska influences, but it still one of the best albums of the pop punk genre. No other pop punk band can keep me listening like Zebrahead can, and if approached with an OPEN MIND, I think just about any pop punk or rock fan can get interested in and enjoy this band. They have matured since their last release and have crafted a pop punk masterpiece that deserves more recognition, even though their only as good as a summer party pop punk band can get.
Pros:
+ Dual Vocals
+ Stronger, More Creative Instrumentals than most Pop Punk
+ Doesn't seem to get old quick at all
+ Range of Songs, from Fast Paced and Hard to Happy and Feel Good Party
Cons:
- Lead Guitar can be too quiet
- Waiting for the Bonus Track to finally come on
Recommended Tracks:
Falling Apart,
The Set Up,
Over the Edge,
Into You,
Runaway,
The Fear (hidden track)
Zebrahead Is:
Vocals, Guitar: Justin Mauriello
Vocals (Rapping): Ali Tabatabaee
Lead Guitar: Greg Bergdorf
Bass: Ben Osmundson
Drums: Ed Uhdus
