Zozobra

Since Boston post-rockers Cave In have been on hiatus, fans have been treated to ongoing side-projects: vocalist/guitarist Steven Brodsky’s Octave Museum, guitarist Adam McGrath’s Clouds and now bassist Caleb Scofield’s Zozobra. Named after the giant marionette that’s burned in effigy annually during a Labor Day festival in Santa Fe, NM, Zozobra are also a duo fronted by Scofield and Old Man Gloom drummer Santos Montano (interestingly enough, the puppet Zozobra is also called "Old Man Gloom”). The most obvious touchstone for openers "The Blessing” and "Kill and Crush” is Torche — namely the dirge pop that Floor’s Steve Brooks turned into gold — but with Scofield’s scratchy throat howls instead of Brooks’s clean vocals. "Levitate,” "The Vast Expanse” and "Invisible Wolves” stretch out to embrace Cave In filtered through Isis, and "Soon to Follow” and "A Distant Star Fades” could be outtakes from Cave In’s Perfect Pitch Black sessions. "Silver Ghost” sees Scofield crooning painfully off-key notes with maximum guitar distortion, while the lumbering "Peripheral Lows” approaches the mechanical union of Thrones and Godflesh. Harmonic Tremors couldn’t have a more appropriate title, as Zozobra cruise above the drivel that passes for pop metal these days, retaining a gratifying gravity that will enthral devotees of all the aforementioned bands.