Although opening with close to two minutes of drum rolls and screeching guitar feedback may seem a little indulgent at over 70 minutes, the
Alchemysts show themselves wholly unconcerned with making an album in a timely manner. And when in their element -- which is three-chord garage rock -- they can provide a very compelling listen, with
Stooges-worthy anthems like "The Psychic Fayre" and "Gone" galloping with amped-out abandon, tracks like the 15-minute "DMT Blues" are unnecessarily meandering. Even if their best moments tend to sound remarkably similar to each other, they do slip a few sunny psychedelic pop songs into the set for variation. Still, given its flaws,
Zero Zen is little more than an album of mixed blessings. ~ Matt Fink