Album Reviews

Review – Don’t Bother Getting Up, We’ll Let Ourselves In by The Outlaws of Zen

Here’s something refreshing. The was recently submitted to me via the band in a “Hey check us out” type email. Well I did and I liked what I hear. The is called The Outlaws of Zen. With the word “Outlaw” in your name you’re either a badass or a pansy ass. Well these guys are the former. Don’t Bother Getting Up, We’ll Let Ourselves In is the upcoming release from this Michigan 4 piece.

“Boiling Point” starts off as a heavy and noisy tune. That’s followed by “With The Swine” which is also heavy but if you listen closely, you’ll hear some classic rock influenced guitar. “Standard Double Standard” tones it down a bit. The songs more closely resembles a more bluesy stoner rock sound. The vocals aren’t as harsh as the previous 2 songs but the tempo does step up slightly in the middle. “Pornstache (The Ballad of Thunderlips Johnson)” has a great stoner/deserty sound. There’s some fuzz to be had. The vocals pick it up like the first 2 songs here and there. “Elephant Bells” is probably the closest to a retro rock sound with a slight hint of 80′s metal (ala Megadeth, Metallica). It’s the most catchiest of all the songs.

The vocals really set the tone for this album with each song. It’s got something for everyone, a little classic rock, a little blues rock, some stoner rock and plenty of sludgy rock. The band claims retro rock and I don’t see that as their style overall, there’s still some great retro riffs throughout to keep you occupied. From time to time, vocally I was reminded a little bit of Mudvayne. The voice is similar, but stylistically, these guys are a million times better. This EP is short at about 2 2minutes but they do one thing well, they present their music with straight up no frills or extra additives. It’s all straight to the point hard/heavy rock.

You can stream 2 songs from Bandcamp (below). The album is set to drop July 24th, 2012.