Album Review: Ceremony - Zoo

When "Rohnert Park" dropped in 2010, it marked a significant change for Ceremony. 80's influences have always been a prevalent force in terms of their sound, but where their earlier records concentrated on the fast, brutal elements of hardcore that leant more towards power-violence, "Rohnert Park" harnessed the same hostility - previously unleashed in powerful minute-long bursts - and strung it out into a more pacing, caged form of aggression that completely nailed the sense of suburban claustrophobia. Since "Violence Violence," Ceremony have gradually shifted their focus; now using their old school influences as a template for further development.

"Zoo," then, is a logical step on from "Rohnert Park," in many ways picking up where it left off. 'Into The Wayside Part III' marked a transition into more experimental, melodic territory which is especially perceptible on Zoo's hazier tracks like 'Hotel'. One of the most notable transformations is Ross Farrar's vocal approach, which has gradually dialled down from a feral roar into an Iggy Pop style drawl - almost singing in some places. The progression and alterations of style that Ceremony has made with each album inevitably cause them to drop and collect fans - each record differs from the next and fans of the earlier, harder material may find "Zoo" a little tame, but remember this is a band that is developing, not reinventing, and it's impossible to please everybody.

If the 6-track "Cover Songs" EP released through Bridge Nine last August - which included tracks by Pixies and Urban Waste - wasn't enough to go by, then the name-dropping of groups like The xx in regards to the influences that went into this record will give a clearer idea of the ground Ceremony are currently holding. Rife with clattering reverb-heavy drums, muscular bass lines, and the odd surf-rock guitar riff evoking a strictly 60's Bay Area aesthetic, there are plenty of different styles and genres blending together here that make "Zoo" such an engaging record. Opener 'Hysteria' works well as an introduction - punchy, catchy, immediate - but doesn't quite reflect what is to come on the rest of the record. Rather, its stripped-back rough guitars and raw distorted vocals capture Ceremony at their most fundamental, making it evident right from the get-go that Ceremony harness a gripping natural aggression no matter how basic its outlet. Ferrar's "matured" vocals swing from feeling frantic, almost exasperated, on faster tracks like 'Citizen' to toeing the line between contempt and boredom on sedated tracks like 'Nosebleed'- and it's in the latter that punk influences from Wire to The Buzzcocks really make themselves known.

Fleeting echoes of Joy Division weave in and out of this record, but closing track "Video" has a rhythm section that's immediately evocative of something from Closer - the high bass tone, flat minimal drums, the pensive atmosphere and sense of underlying frustration. The apparent influence of The xx can also be picked out here in the lead guitar line, but despite all the influences poured in, Ceremony make this track 400% their own and utilize Zoo's final moments to hint towards a new sound entirely.

Notably, this is the first time Ceremony have chosen to work with a producer. John Goodmanson, whose fine-tuned presence helped shape releases by Blood Brothers, Bikini Kill, and Los Campesinos! also resonates throughout "Zoo." Where Violence Violence and Still Nothing Moves You were characterized by a menacing, bass-heavy atmosphere, Rohnert Park lifted the clouds and allowed a little more light in. Although the tracks still have a pensiveness and aggression about them, Goodmanson's hand in Zoo's production has provided a spaciousness in which it circulates and grows, rather than shooting straight at you in an unhinged surge.

Though they are two very different bands, Ceremony are not unlike Fucked Up in the way they have managed to take an essentially traditional hardcore sound into new experimental territory. It's no surprise then that they have been grabbed by genre-bending powerhouse Matador Records, whose roster includes acts like Cold Cave, The New Pornographers, Pavement, and Sonic Youth. It is rare to see a band that originally started out as a vegan straight edge act sharing a label with Integrity and Oathbreaker now sat between such globally recognized weight-bearing names. This will inevitably have implications not just for Ceremony but for hardcore punk as a whole - a genre that is currently evolving from strength to strength. Perhaps the most crucial thing about this partnership is that it implies a real sense of permanence. We are so used to hardcore bands putting out a couple of releases before breaking up and disappearing, but Ceremony are in it for the long-haul and for them, this is just the beginning. Things will only get weirder from here.

4.5/5

"Zoo" is released March 6th through Matador Records.

Emma Garland