"Wow, not just a new Hammers Of Misfortune album this week but also a new Zebulon Pike! Two what we might call "advanced metal" bands that don't really have anything to do we each other, except a) they both slay and b) that we first heard about Zebulon Pike after Hammers came back from a tour raving about this kick-ass instrumental metal band they'd played with in Minneapolis. Epic length songs, dual-guitar harmonies left right and center, and HEAVY was the word from the Hammers camp.

ZP's first album, 2004's And Blood Was Passion, proved all this and more to us, and we've been eagerly awaiting another one since then! As we're sure a lot of you have been too, 'cause that first Zebulon disc has been a steady seller here, people totally going for what we described as their blend of the math-rock, post-rock instru-metal prowess of both The Fucking Champs and Pelican. (And what we will -again- describe as a blend of those two bands!)

ZP II: The Deafening Twilight is just what we wanted: still no singing, five more head-banging, mind-blowing tracks (one just five minutes long, two around thirteen, and the other two of 'em upwards of 20 minutes in length) of sheer shut up n' play stoner riff mastery, post-rock dynamics of beauty and might gone totally metal, as many twists and turns as a Pacific Coast drive on Highway 1, convoluted yet catchy and melodic... and again, damn HEAVY when the pedal's to the metal. They can thrash violently or go for pretty and quiet, even breaking out instruments like vibraphone, tubular bells, and medieval greatpipes when their compositions demand 'em.

Furthermore, they're shredders but this doesn't come off as techy and complex for the sake of it like, say, Behold The Arctopus. It's more "classic" and song-centric. And way more metal than some of their instrumental peers. I mean, we do love Pelican, but are they metal enough to title a song "(Behold) The Wizzard's Fountain"?? ZP'd fit right in on a bill with The Sword or Baroness. Recommended."