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Authority Zero

12:34
2007
Big Panda

Authority Zero - 12:34 (Cover Artwork)

Review by: Dordon
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Published on March 14th 2008

This album is Authority Zero's latest release and the followup to 2004's Andiamo. The band, composed of Jason DeVore (vocals), Bill Marcks (guitar, vocals), Jeremy Wood (bass) and Jim Wilcox (drums), comes from Mesa, Arizona. This album is a step up from Andiamo, with more energy while combining their traditional combination of punk and reggae.

The opening track, "Wake Up Call" starts off with spoken word and is followed by a ripping bass riff, followed by fast, energetic guitars. "On Edge" has a very catchy riff to start the song, and is only bolstered by DeVore's voice.

"Courage" is the standout track, in my opinion. It comes from DeVore's solo acoustic album, but is full electric here and has a very strong chorus.

A close second is track 4, "No Regrets." The guitars are almost metal-like in the verse and the bass has a very fast intro. The next song, "Talk Is Cheap," slows its way down. It's along the lines of "Retreat!" from Andiamo. It combines a relaxing reggae guitar riff with the kind of bass you'd expect to back that style.

"The Bravery" isn't really too great compared to the rest of the album, but it's still really good. It seems like these guys can't write a bad song. Even the worst song on their record is better than some other bands' best.

"Carpe Diem" is a fast, catchy punk rock song. If you wanted a really good song to just listen to and chill, "Sirens" is the way to go -- it's tied with "Courage" as my favorite off the album.

The title track, "12:34" sounds like it'd be a great closer song, and I think it might be misplaced on the album in the track listing. The song is amazing. Come to think of it, it's in a three-way tie with "Sirens" and "Courage." "Break Free," the closer, and "Memory Lane" are on par with "The Bravery," though both are very catchy.

The final two songs that stand out are the fast punk version of the traditional song, "Drunken Sailor," and "Broken Dreams." "Drunken Sailor" is sometimes changed to Drunken Zero, to talk about the band and their fans.

"Broken Dreams" sounds something like a hardcore song. It's got a heavy, ripping guitar line, and DeVore does screaming very, very well. Now that I think about it, "Broken Dreams" is the best track on the album. It was released as a downloadable single on iTunes way before the album was released and I believe it may have been a bonus track on the import of Andiamo, but it is such a solid track that it could be released on every album of theirs and still be as good.

All in all, this album is a step up from Andiamo, and on par with A Passage in Time. Authority Zero has delivered a solid, standout album once again.

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Posted by ak3punk on 2008-04-24 13:28:54
My Score:

This album is really enjoyable. After listening to all their albums this is the most cohesive. There's a few duds on this album, but if you take the best "punk" tracks from the last album and combine the two you'd have a great listen.

This skate punk with a dash of ska is an excellent throwback to the late '90's. If your an skatepunk/epi-fat kid from the 90's you should check this album out.

Posted by nameless on 2008-04-03 22:55:35

"the singer has a solo acoustic album?! ugh"

Yup, just like everyone else it seems.

Posted by paulrulzdood on 2008-03-17 12:51:25
My Score:

skate punk by numbers other than the few random ska/reggae sublime influenced cuts but I like it. it appeals to my inner 17 year old.

Paul

Posted by wentz_equals_death on 2008-03-17 11:48:10

the singer has a solo acoustic album?! ugh

Posted by david_arquette on 2008-03-17 00:02:47
My Score:

As an Arizonan, I can authoritatively say that this band is bullshit bro-core meant to be blasted from lifted trucks driven by dudes in board shorts. I don't think people are able to get the full effect of what this band is until they've lived here.

Posted by JonDaley on 2008-03-15 16:51:44

sorry it was "mallcore" you used but the terms are interchangeable.

Posted by JonDaley on 2008-03-15 16:50:06

this band has a few good songs but I haven't been motivated to check this out.

To speak about your confusion over the "mall punk" term. In the 90's "mall punk" wasn't what we think of today with Hot Topic and MCR etc. It was often used by those in more D.I.Y communities to denote styles pop punk, ska punk and pop punk played by bands on labels such as Fat Wreck and Epitaph and bands that played the Vans Warped Tour think Maximum Rock n Roll loving people. In some sense it is still in use to this day.

Posted by ven89 on 2008-03-15 14:00:35

Why do people listen to this band? They're mediocre skate punk with a little reggae. Whoopdyfuckindoo.

Posted by weffjebster on 2008-03-15 11:59:55
My Score:

I really like this album... But it's not as good as A Passage in Time or Andiamo... I don't think there's a bad song on this album, but it seems the screaming got weirder on this compared to the other two. I don't like how it sounds... Almost strained. Whatever. It's still really good.

Posted by freaky003 on 2008-03-15 08:57:38

This CD is whatever, this review is god awful.. it was like an afterthought or something

Posted by SydBarrett420 on 2008-03-15 04:11:37
My Score:

Not bad, nothing special, but a couple of the tracks are catchy.

Posted by Hey_ska on 2008-03-15 02:18:33

I'm form Arizona and i used to not like this band. Now, I like them a lot. I have no idea why.

Posted by minorkaty on 2008-03-14 23:41:28

Love this album. It definitely went on my top 10 list for 2007... Looking forward to their tour with Beat Union too. :]

Posted by pricey123 on 2008-03-14 20:35:44

i heard one of their songs on a rock against bush and i liked it. will buy this sometime

Posted by T-Rock on 2008-03-14 19:58:32

This is a great album by a great band. I remember seeing the review for Andiamo, and somebody mentioned that Authority Zero was "mallcore." I've met very few people (outside of those who listen to more independent punk) that listen to this band. Definitely NOT a Hot Topic band. That's not to say they're a Plan-It-X band by any means, but whatever. I don't know why they'd be considered "mainstream."

Anyways, this band has a really unique Latin/Reggae vibe you don't hear enough of. They're catchy, but not too poppy either. Try them out. You'll like it.

Posted by AphasiacIIc on 2008-03-14 19:29:56

broken dreams was also on a volcom compilation released in like.. 2004 i think?