Tag: Zig Zags

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstays Zig-Zags Release a Lo Fi Troma Films-like Visual for “Killer of Killers”

I’ve written quite a bit about the Los Angeles-based thrash punk/metal trio and JOVM mainstays  Zig Zags over the past couple of years, and as you may recall, the act — currently, founding member Jed Maheu (guitar, vocals), Dane Andrews (drums) and longtime sound engineer, multi-instrumentalist Sean Hoffman (bass) — over the course of their eight-plus year history have gone through a series of lineup changes, while releasing seven singles and three full-length albums. Each of those albums found the band managing to subtly yet continually evolve their sound, songwriting approach and overall aesthetic. 

The Los Angeles-based JOVM mainstays fourth, full-length album They’ll Never Take Us Alive was released earlier this year through RidingEasy Records, and the album finds the ban paying homage to their earliest influences — the bandmembers’ mutual love of Dead Moon and Wipers, while remaining decidedly thrash metal.“Fallout,” the Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning-era Metallica-like album single further cemented the band’s reputation for specializing in headbanging, power chord-based riffs and rousingly anthemic hooks paired with a blistering urgency. The album’s latest single “Killer of Killers” continues in a similar vein as its immediate predecessor, power chord-centered riffs, rousingly anthemic hooks, blistering and dexterous solos — paired with an urgent and frenzied production and performance.

The recently released video for “Killer of Killers” is a cartoonish and goofily lo-fi take on Troma Films-like horror films, complete with a sociopathic, masked mass murderer, who kills as many people at a local park as he could — although one Walkman-wearing kid manages to escape. The video splits between our shitty horror film and footage of the band playing a frenzied set in front of headbanging admirers. Fake blood and gore abounds; but it still kicks ass!

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstays Zig Zags Release a Blistering Headbanger from Fourth Album

Over the years, I’ve written quite a bit about the  Los Angeles-based thrash punk/metal trio and JOVM mainstays  Zig Zags. And as you may recall, the act, which is currently comprised of founding member Jed Maheu (guitar, vocals), Dane Andrews (drums) and longtime sound engineer, multi-instrumentalist Sean Hoffman (bass) over the course of their eight-plus year have gone through a series of lineup changes while releasing seven singles and three full-length albums. During that time, the band has also managed to subtly yet continually evolve their sound, songwriting approach and overall aesthetic.

Slated for a May 10, 2019 release through RidingEasy Records, the band’s fourth, full-length album They’ll Never Take Us Alive reportedly finds the band paying homage to some of their earliest influences — in particular, their mutual love of  Dead Moon and Wipers, while remaining decidedly heavy metal. “Fallout,” the Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning-era Metallica-like album single further cemented the band’s reputation for specializing in headbanging, power chord-based riffs and rousingly anthemic hooks paired with a blistering urgency. The album’s latest single “Killer of Killers” continues in a similar vein as its immediate predecessor, power chord-centered riffs, rousingly anthemic hooks, blistering and dexterous solos — paired with an urgent and frenzied production and performance.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Zig Zags Release an Urgent Headbanger

Currently comprised of founding member Jed Maheu (guitar, vocals), Dane Andrews (drums) and longtime sound engineer, multi-instrumentalist Sean Hoffman (bass), the Los Angeles-based thrash punk/metal trio Zig Zags over the course of their eight year history have released seven singles, three albums and a number of lineup changes — and throughout that time he band has managed to continually evolve their sound, their songwriting approach and their overall aesthetic.  Interestingly, the band’s fourth full-length album They’ll Never Take Us Alive is slated for a May 10, 2019 release through RidingEasy Records, and the album finds the band upping the stakes while revealing their earliest influences — in particular, their love of Dead Moon and Wipers, while remaining decidedly heavy metal. 

They’ll Never Take Us Alive’s latest single, the Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning-era Metallica-like “Fallout” will further cement their long-held reputation for crafting headbanging, power chord-based riffs and rousingly anthemic “raise-your-beer-in-the-air-and-shout-along-lustily” hooks but the song is centered by a blistering urgency that hasn’t been heard on their previously released material. 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Zig Zags Returns with Another Blistering, Face-Melting, Anthemic and 80s Metal Inspired New Single and Video

Running Out of Red’s third and latest single “They Came For Us” continue on the same vein as its preceding two singles — enormous, face-melting power chords, thundering drumming and rousingly anthemic hooks paired with lyrics that focus on horror movie themes. And every time I’ve heard this song, I can envision the metalheads at Clem’s, (un-iroinically) headbanging and shouting along with upraised beers and fists.

The recently released music video employs the use of suicidal cult imagery — and in some way, it reveals the dangers of blind obedience and conformity, while also pointing at the lunacy of following an ignorant, narcissistic, power hungry, greedy, authoritarian blowhard like Donald Trump.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The 80s Horror Movie-Inspired Visuals for Zig Zags’ “Giving Up The Ghost”

With the release of their debut effort In The Red, Los Angeles, CA-based thrash punk trio Zig Zags –-comprised of Jed Maheu (guitar/vocals), Caleb Miller (bass/vocals), and Dane Arnold (drums) — quickly received attention for a blistering, face-melting, no-bullshit thrash metal/thrash punk aesthetic that sounds as though it owes a massive debt to early 80s Metallica, Slayer,Iron Maiden and others. Last month, I wrote about album single “The Sadist,”a single off the trio’s recently released Running Out of Red that helped to further cement the trio’s reputation for pairing scuzzy, face-melting, mosh-pit friendly power chords guitar pyrotechnics, propulsive drumming and shouted vocals. Unsurprisingly, the album’s latest single “Giving Up The Ghost” continues on the exact same vein as “The Sadist” — although the latest single manages to directly channel Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning-era Metallica in such an uncanny way that the songs manages to sound as though it could have been released in 1983.

The recently released music video is deeply indebted to cheap 80s horror flicks as a denim vest wearing zombie stalks an adorable, little skateboarding badass, who narrowly escapes him — in true horror movie fashion.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of their debut effort In The Red, Los Angeles, CA-based thrash punk trio Zig Zags –comprised of Jed Maheu (guitar/vocals), Caleb Miller (bass/vocals), and Dane Arnold (drums) — quickly received attention for a blistering, face-melting, no-bullshit thrash metal/thrash punk aesthetic that sounds as though it owes a massive debt to early 80s Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden and others. “The Sadist,” the latest single off the soon-to-be released Running Out of Red will further cement the trio’s reputation for pairing scuzzy, face-melting, ass-kicking power chords guitar pyrotechnics, propulsive drumming and shouted vocals. It’s the sound of kids with very little options, shitty lives and shittier jobs, playing in garages and basements, wishing for something — hell, anything to happen to break up the tedium of their lives.