By Dave Pehling
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) — Laying down their hard-swinging style of blues-tinged heavy rock for the past dozen years, San Jose-based quartet ZED throw a party in celebration of their fourth album Volume at the Club Fox in Redwood City Saturday night.
ZED
Core players Pete Sattari (guitar/vocals) and Mark Aceves (bass) have been making music together since the late ’90s. They had collaborated in the metallic, alt/indie-rock outfit Stitch — which had their self-produced debut picked up by Metal Blade/Prosthetic Records in addition to recording with noted producer Alex Newport (Melvins, The Mars Volta) — and the group Mercury Sound prior to founding ZED with Stitch drummer Rich Harris and lead guitarist Greg Lopez in 2007.
Taking their time to develop a sound that drew on both classic ’70s metal and hard rock influences as well as the more modern sounds that emerged in Seattle in the late ’80s (particularly Soundgarden and Alice In Chains), the quartet released their debut album The Invitation in 2010. Embracing a crunchy, groove-oriented attack on tunes like “Lunatics and Liars” and “Leave Me Alone,” ZED crafted a style of tuneful heaviness that fit comfortably alongside established bands like Clutch, Audioslave and Queens of the Stone Age.
The group further refined its approach over the next three years of writing and recording its sophomore effort Desperation Blues, an accomplished effort that added elements of funk and languid balladry to the mix. The album also caught the ear of East Bay heavy rock imprint Ripple Music, who signed the band and released the third ZED album, Trouble In Eden, in 2016.
Another exponential leap forward, the recording garnered the band critical praise and paved the way for some of ZED’s most extensive touring yet with trips to Texas and Europe. While Harris would depart from the band following the album’s release, the quartet landed on its feet with the addition of veteran Bay Area drummer Sean Boyles (Death Angel singer Mark Osegueda’s side project All-Time Highs, Bloodline, Insolence).
Since then, the band has continued to spread the word of its muscular sound, making multiple appearances at South By Southwest as well as playing such notable metal festivals as the Maryland Doom Fest and, most recently, DesertFest UK in London this past May. Though the crew’s anticipated new album Volume doesn’t hit stores until later this month, fans attending this in Redwood City will have a chance to pick up a CD or vinyl copy two weeks early Saturday night. ZED is joined by Berkeley-based metal outfit Ghost Next Door and old-school Bay Area blues/roots rockers Swamphammer.
ZED Record Release Party
Saturday, July 13, 8 p.m. $12
Club Fox