Search - Authority Zero :: A Passage in Time

An intriguing and eclectic mix of styles

Mike Reed | Utah | 09/14/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As much as they sound like they came from the beaches of Southern California, Authority Zero hails from Arizona. You'd never know it to listen to A Passage In Time though, because the band balances their skatepunk sound with liberal dashes of ska, reggae and surf rock. It's an interesting mix, but it pays off. They end up sounding like Pennywise if they spent more time at the beach. The style is solid but unfortunately, the songs are sometimes uneven. "One More Minute" is 6-minutes of ska-punk brilliance, but some songs like "Superbitch" lean towards having tepid unoriginal lyrics. Thankfully, the music goes by so fast it's difficult to notice shortcomings, and in the end, you're left with an exciting CD that shows a lot of promise."

"A Passage In Time"= Music For the Masses

Jimmy Soto | Bronx, NY USA | 11/20/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album is for you if you like hybrid music. Authority Zero combines punk, reggae, hardcore, surf and latin influences to bring you "A Passage In Time". Track 12 "Over Seasons" is a melodic punk/reggae/latin blend that anyone who enjoys those two styles can get into. Track 6 "Superbitch" is a straight at you punk song with great lyrics and that is followed up nicely with "Sky's the Limit". Along with the great mixture of music the music flows well from song to song, the album doesn't break it's momentum from song to song. I've had the most hardcore kid i know as well as the most hiphop kid I know listen to teh album and both were into it, that alone makes this album KEY."

From humble beginnings

Nick Colosi | Chesterland, OH, USA | 06/20/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"So this CD basically sounds like what it is. It's a great band before they were truly great. Here they are good, and I can't really credit them for being more than good. It's not as good as the classic Andiamo or the newer 12:34, which for me get playtime almost every week in my CD collection of more than 150 CDs, but it's still a good effort and a must-have for fans of this band.



The problem with this CD, that is, what keeps it from the pure greatness of the other releases, is that it's all over the place. Not like Andiamo, where the transitions from song to song find us experiencing different sound, but on this CD, a lot of SONGS are all over the place. Not that I don't love punk, reggae, and surf music, but if you're going to shove all that down my throat at least give me some time to get ready for it. A perfect example is the song "Superb*tch" which starts off with a speedy ska-punk sound, then breaks down into a reggae bit, and then picks up and finishes on straight out in your face punk. Now, they did this again on their other CDs, on songs like "100 years of war," but here it's less coherant and more random. The other issue, and this is an issue with every Authority Zero CD, is that when they were mixing it they made the bass too quiet on most songs. Jeremey Wood was a phenominal bassist with this band and his lines are very intricate, yet we can barely hear them.



All that aside, this CD seriously kicks it some time. It's got a good blend of fast beat mosh songs and then the more chill/relax tunes that you could sit back on the beach or in your home and just jam to, the most notable being "One More Minute," which is 6+ minutes of reggae bliss, even if it failed to launch these guys into the mainstream (But that's good right, I mean nothing good ever happens to bands once they launch into the mainstream, right?)



Overall, this is a CD that is good for parties and when you're down and need to listen something to cheer up. Personally, I love running and working out to it, it gets me pumped. I would say, however, to get the other two Authority Zero CDs first before this, and remember when you finally do get this, that it's a little out there, and it takes a few listens to truly enjoy as a great piece.



Okay I lied, I did end up using great instead of good, oh well.



Highlight tracks: "A Passage in Time" "Everyday" and "Mesa Town""