Hardcore
Zero Again – A Deep Appreciation of Suffering
Zero Again, a promising UK hardcore band, although only recently formed in 2020, is actually comprised of four individuals who have been involved in the UKHC and DIY anarcho scene for a long time and have been giving their best since day one—some of whom have played in or have been playing with seminal UK […]
The post Zero Again – A Deep Appreciation of Suffering first appeared on DIY Conspiracy – International Zine in the Spirit of DIY Hardcore Punk!
Artist: Zero Again
Title: A Deep Appreciation of Suffering
Release: LP / Digital
Year: 2023
Label: Sanctus Propaganda
Zero Again, a promising UK hardcore band, although only recently formed in 2020, is actually comprised of four individuals who have been involved in the UKHC and DIY anarcho scene for a long time and have been giving their best since day one—some of whom have played in or have been playing with seminal UK bands such as Decadence Within, Regret, Flux of Pink Indians, Warwound and many others. As a quartet, the band consists of important British anarcho-punk and hardcore journalist, writer and musician Ian Glasper on bass, Paul Payne of Regret and Bring to Ruin on guitars, Dean Evans of Regret and Ephemeral Foetus on vocals, and Glenn Tew of Grand Collapse on drums. As you can see from the names and people involved, the band is serious and the hopes are understandably high.
With their new album, A Deep Appreciation of Suffering, released on June 1, 2023 by Sanctus Propaganda (a Polish label dedicated to anarchist AFA DIY principles, run by people from the cult crust punk band Sanctus Iuda), Zero Again certainly deliver a very strong record, and the high expectations are more than met. The sound is diverse, mixing classic UKHC, crust/d-beat, a unique brand of violent anarcho-punk with atmospheric deathrock/goth-punk elements and a modern approach to songwriting. I would describe it as an eclectic mix of Conflict, Rudimentary Peni and bands like Heresy.
Dean’s high-pitched screams and growls are almost surreal in their transcendental chaos, complemented by Paul Payne’s more typical but brutal stenchcore vicious grunts. The rhythm section is so tight you wouldn’t believe it—with Ian Glasper’s chunky and catchy post-punk bass lines and Glenn Tew’s undeniably good timing—he manages to effortlessly nail the frequent tempo changes with clockwork precision, truly admirable drumming from him here. Their two previous EPs are similar in style and direction, but here it is as if their unique sound has been taken to its logical conclusion, perfected and completed as a concept. And we can only guess where they’ll go from here.
In A Deep Appreciation of Suffering, Zero Again are able to create a dark and melancholic atmosphere, and while experimenting with different sounds and styles, they maintain the brutal anti-systemic lyrical and musical themes of British hardcore punk. And the 16 songs have interesting structures, not limited to the typical verse and chorus frame, which is another refreshing thing about the band. One of the album’s highlights is the crushingly harsh yet atmospheric “Tipping Point” and the final longer, darker track “Existential Void”.
Sounding fresher than ever, the new band of veterans Zero Again once again show their ability for great compositional nuance and a fresh perspective on genre archetypes we thought were long played out—which is always great and exciting when a band like this comes along and breaks the chains of stereotypes and thinks outside the box.
Source: diyconspiracy.net
