Zasz

Zasz – “Destiny Beside the Great Divide” (self-released 2010)

Based in Nashville, Zasz is a guitar/bass/keyboards/drums/vocals quintet that plays thoughtfully complex yet highly accessible song oriented progressive rock. Originally formed in Philadelphia by vocalist Tim Zim and keyboardist Dan Shyles, the band released their first album – wakeup.feelsomething - in 2008 with an earlier lineup of musicians. Having relocated to Nashville, Zim and Shyles recruited Amanda McCoy (bass), Sean Sunderland (drums) and Will Presley (guitar), to record their new EP - Destiny Beside the Great Divide.

Though all the songs are under 6 minutes, the music is characterized by subtly intricate meters and rhythms and multiple thematic shifts, played by a crack band of solid musicians. Zim’s vocals are ideal for this brand of progressive rock and he really shines on songs like Michaela and the title track, the vocals made all the more powerful by the beautiful backing harmonies. Among my favorites of the set are the title track, with its mixture of fiery rock and pastoral moments, and the high energy symphonic rocker, The Sound That Brought The Barrier Down, which recalls early 80s UK progressive bands like Pendragon and Pallas, and includes some of the most compositionally intricate and passionate vocals of the set. Michaela has a mild jazz fusion vibe that I liked. And Goodbye To My City features an interesting combination of progressive and pop rock.

Clocking in at barely 25 minutes, the power of these songs really left me wanting more. For those that need references, a modern analogy that prog-heads will know would be Echolyn, though reaching back to the classic progressive rock days I was often reminded of Happy the Man too. I’ll be looking forward to seeing Zasz perform live when they tour early in 2011 (note that guitarist Will Presley has been replaced by Word Strickland).

For more information and to keep tabs on tour dates you can visit the Zasz web site at: http://www.zaszmusic.com - Aural Innovations

ZASZ is a young and upcoming band from Pennsylvania USA, that at the time of the recording of their debut album still had not settled as a group, with two musicians listed as members and the rest of the musicians listed as "Featuring" on the credits. In other words, this is an outfit still in its formative stages, and one we're likely to hear more from if they manage to stabilize.

"wakeup.feelsomething" was released late in 2007, available as an old-fashioned CD as well as digital files from a number of resellers. Although young, these guys obviously are smart enough to know that the physical media is far from dead, there are still quite a few people out there who likes the sense of ownership you get when buying a CD. And this is a title which hopefully will find its way into many collections in physical as well as digital shape.

The band list up a plethora of influences, ranging from Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin to Radiohead, The Mars Volta and Black Sabbath, on their MySpace page. What sets this band slightly apart though, is that they try their best to incorporate all their influences into each and every song. This results in compositions with lots of twists and turns in style, atmosphere and mood. Conventional song structures is something you'll have to listen intently to find, if any at all. The songs are forever moving, changing and wandering. Certain parts and themes are repeated in more or less altered forms throughout each song, and some constants see to it that the tunes have some stability, but change and evolvement dominates. I would guess that The Mars Volta is a major influence when it comes to song structure here, although this is based on description mostly.

Surprisingly, the piano is a highly central instrument in most tunes; and will often be the main melody provider instead of underscoring guitars. The guitars and bass are very much present though, the former with harmonic melodies, drawn out chords and slick and at times staccato riff structures - and often with a distinct psychedelic tinge to the sound. The latter is a tad more subservient in the soundscapes here, more often giving the song drive and groove rather than providing dominating melodic patterns.

This album is high on melody, which may be a surprise. Despite all the changes occurring, the melody is central most times from start to finish. From REM influenced passages to ska, jazz, grunge and alternative; a melody is always present.

Fans and followers of bands trying to be creative and experimental while still producing accessible and melodic material might want to check out these guys further. Personally I'd guess that many people into The Mars Volta as well as bands like Porcupine Tree might find this release interesting. It is a solid and strong release of modern, complex progressive rock.

~Olav Bjornsson, 8 out of 10 - Prog4You.com

Zasz burst into life with this refreshing fusion of pop, indie and jazz. Destiny Beside The Great Divide is a technically excellent, sonically diverse and stylistically displays a positive musical incarnation of dissociative identity disorder.

'Thirteen' provides the surprising starting place, opening with an odd intro that really suddenly blooms into a complex and tight song with funky guitars and indie-shine.

If you want things more traditional, 'Goodbye To My City' is the shimmering clever-pop follow up to this first track. It has a strong melodic thread with lots of vocal interplay to spice up the chorus. This song is like something off of Delays' 'Everything's the Rush' album.

'Destiny Beside The Great Divide' is the title track, the main thread of the story and the start of a four-part rock epic, with Zasz planning three more albums to complete the tale. The song is chilled and emotional with a soft melody, which is reminiscent of Radiohead's Thom Yorke.

I'm not sure about 'Michaela', which perhaps a bit too much of a cliché, which isn't to say it's a bad song, just a bit soggy and overwrought.

'The Sound That Brought The Barrier Down' is much more sparky and fluid, layering keyboards and guitars in a flurry of notes that generate a chaotic backdrop that gets tamed by a solid and colourful drum beat. - The Mag (www.themag.me.uk)

What Is Zat?!



Just when you thought progressive rock was dead, a new young band coming out of all places, Nashville, spews out intense, high energy, complex, yet soulful music by real musicians. Zasz weaves an intricate tapestry of sounds and rhythms that hasn't been heard since vintage Yes and Crack the Sky. Masterminded by frontman/composer Tim Zim, Zasz propels you through a universe of epic themes with songs like "Destiny Beside the Great Divide," "The Bullet..." "Aviator," "Panic Room," and "wake up. feel something."



Captain Zim's crew includes Keyboard Navigator Dan Shyles, Electric Axman Will Presley; Subatomic Funkster Amanda McCoy, and Artillery Battery Commander Sean Sunderland. Voracious in their virtuosity, these folks bite off huge chunks and never choke. Who'da thunk that in a world of pre-made beats, Karaoke, and auto-tune there would emerge a group of musicians that could play like zat?



--Pandel Collaros (Assistant Professor and Director of Rock Ensemble, Bethany College)
- Bethany College

ZASZ are in the mold of At The Drive-In, Sparta, Radiohead and a dose of Coldplay. The first thing that you notice is the top-notch musicianship is and Tim Zim's vocals round off the ZASZ sound. This CD is filled with progressive passages and sophisticated songwriting. Wakeup.Feelsomething is a CD you should take in a as a whole, because there is not a standout or bad track offered here. From the piano intro of "the Bullet," that leads into an explosion of complexity and melody to the hyper "Panic Room" to the driving "Controlled/Unconcerned". If you are into creative writing, substance in the music and songs with hooks, you will be all over ZASZ. - Origivation Magazine