Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2023 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
September 2023
- Rockett Love: Galactic Circus
- Kerrigan: Bloodmoon
- Taz: Shipwrecked, Vol 2
- Taz: Wake Up & Sweat, Vol 1
- Ronnie Romero: Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters
- The Flower Kings: Look At You Now
- Vega: Battlelines
- Blackbird Angels: Solsorte
- Primal Fear: Code Red
- Eclipse: Megalomanium
- Seventh Wonder: Mercy Falls (Reissue 2008/2023)
- Seventh Wonder: The Great Escape (Reissue 2010/2023)
August 2023
- Hurricane: Reconnected
- U.D.O.: Touchdown
- Streetlight: Ignition
- Sarayasign: The Lion's Road
- Neal Morse: The Dreamer - Joseph - Part One
- Rian: Wings
- Icon Of Sin: Legends
- Lancer: Tempest
- King Kobra: We Are Warriors
- Dark Sky: Signs Of The Time
- Hell In The Club: F.U.B.A.R.
- Kent Hilli: Nothing Left To Lose
July 2023
- Turkish Delight: Volume Two
- Winterstorm: Everfrost
- Scream Maker: Land Of Fire
- James Robledo: Broken Soul
- Houston: Relaunch III
- All For Metal: Legends
- Withering Scorn: Prophets Of Demise
- Bloodbound: Tales From The North
- Kikimora: For A Broken Dime
- Degreed: Public Address
June 2023
- Night Legion: Fight Or Fall
- Midnite City: In At The Deep End
- Pyramaze: Bloodlines
- Shakra: Invincible
- Vypera: Race Of Time
- Stardust: Kingdom Of Illusion
- Pride Of Lions: Dream Higher
- Joel Hoekstra's 13: Crash Of Life
- The Defiants: Drive
- Ray Alder: II
- Art Nation: Inception
- False Memories: Hybrid Ego System
ZZG: Trapped in the Mirror
ZZG: Trapped in the Mirror
Progressive Rock
4.0/5.0
Independent/Self-promotion
www.myspace.com/zzgband
Review: Craig Hartranft, 07.26.2010
Australian band ZZG could have named themselves ROS, 'real old school,' as they are firmly rooted in pre-1980's rock, particularly progressive rock. Their self-produced debut Trapped in the Mirror reflects the era and many great influences. Echoes of Deep Purple, Wishbone Ash, King Crimson, and maybe even a little Frank Zappa and The Talking Heads can be heard throughout this work.
For the Sky is an unadulterated true rock song with a solid and foreboding bass line. C'Mon Now merges a similar rock vibe with an ethereal space rock feel in the second half. Defining Tom Go to Bed may be a little more problematic: rock, funk, and swing make for clever toe-tapping number. Floydian Slip is not what you think, or at least not in my opinion, sounding more like Wishbone Ash meets the Talking Heads. But that latter characteristic may be to infectious here as Daniel Roberts sounds like a evil merger between David Byrne and Ric Ocasek (Cars). I dig Ocasek's vocals, but David Byrne and the Talking Heads I can do without most any day. (Never could understand what the big deal was with them anyway.) So it seems as I listened to Trapped in the Mirror, my mind kept wandering to a distasteful place.
Nevertheless, the originality of the music, and ZZG's attempt to reflect and re-imagine early rock, is what really shines here. Far from the mainstream, and certainly no where near current modern rock trends, ZZG's Trapped in the Mirror is an interesting, innovative and entertaining platter of retro progressive rock. Recommended.
In Short
Far from the mainstream, and certainly no where near current modern rock trends, ZZG's Trapped in the Mirror is an interesting, innovative and entertaining platter of retro progressive rock.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
Album of the Week
Formed in 1999 by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erik Martensson, Sweden's Eclipse is well into their third decade of making music. In the recent past, their recordings and reputation have ... [ Read More ]