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Read Reviews of We Are All Doomed: The Zodiac Killer
Did Y'all Hear That? This is Otto Kinzel's debut solo LP, a concept album that revolves around the story of the unsolved Zodiac murders that took place in Northern California in the 60's and 70's. Since it's a concept album it depicts the facts, the places and the persons involved with accuracy. For example, Lake Herman road and Lake Berryessa are some of the actual places where Zodiac murdered his victims, Paul Avery was the reporter who had been covering the case and Paul Stine was a cab killer whose blooded shirt was sent to the Chronicle as proof of Zodiac's actions. Besides being well-researched, it's musically solid as well. Intro, outro and skits are well placed, making it sound good as a whole rather than random noises combined together. Guitar work stands out as well. If I had no clue who's behind this, I would have easily mistake this for Mr. Bungle’s latest work or a Fantomas project. So, check it out and try to support the artist! Here's Otto's website to keep an eye on as well. Road Rayge Magazine Let's face it, half the fun of having a website like this is being able to promote new artists. Every once in a while, we'll come across an artist who doesn't quite fit the format, but still seems deserving of some level recognition just the same. Case in point: Otto Kinzel and his latest album release "We Are All Doomed: The Zodiac Killer". "We Are All Doomed: The Zodiac Killer" is Otto Kinzel's debut solo LP. The album is a concept album that centers around the unsolved murders committed by the Zodiac Killer that occurred in Northern California in the 60's and 70's and the public fear that arose as a result. Otto Kinzel has been a veteran of the New England music for over a decade. He has recorded and toured non-stop with several Industrial and Metal bands from the region. In addition to being an experienced guitar player, Otto has worked as a front man and lead vocalist, has produced several recordings and he's also the owner and operator of Bluntface Records. Otto's latest effort "We Are All Doomed: The Zodiac Killer" is a cinematic experience, complete with narrative excerpts from letters written by the Zodiac Killer, as well as a musical experience that explores an interesting and unique blend of experimental-industrial-thrash-punk metal music that seems to strongly support the project's subject matter. Meanwhile, as the songs continue to evolve from track to track, as did the Zodiac Killer's activities, Otto's musical interpretation of the events manage to remain richly detailed and historically accurate. The opening number establishes a somber and dramatic mood. Then, as the tracks progress and as one might expect, the songs begin to exude a sense of anger, rage and even confusion. There are moments when the music seems to be a brief glimpse into the mind of serial killer. From there, the songs and continue to become darker and more intense with each chapter of the storyline. As with many interpretive or conceptual art forms, much of what the listener takes away from the album may depend on how much they themselves are willing to invest in the experience. Whether you're a fan of experimental/industrial/thrash, a history buff, or just want to take a quick peek inside the mind of a serial killer, make no mistake, Otto Kinzel's "We Are All Doomed: The Zodiac Killer" is quite an auditory experience. Pure Grain Audio Otto Kinzel recently released this dark, ominous and well-crafted music video for the song "I Want To Report A Murder" off his album We Are All Doomed: The Zodiac Killer. The video was directed and produced by Russell Rocheleau and the album is available for purchase via both iTunes and Amazon Lord Litter A trip / film for your ears. A unique take one on a thrilling ride.. Never Boring.. Never cliché ... a wonderful very good underground release ... Enjoyed (enjoying) it very much!! .. I really think it's one of those releases that define a new true underground .. A *better* / *honest* music The Hippo (NH) As is typical of New Hampshire, Kinzel is a local producer who doesn’t advertise his New Hampshireness all over his websites (he also operates Bluntface Records). This state isn’t a mecca of goth/industrial (I can’t fix everything around here, you guys), so he recently hatted out for Boston, hooking up with Lucretia’s Daggers before promptly hatting back again and working hard to get this operation going. From the look of this release he’s essentially trying to be what Tom Shear is to Assemblage 23 as just one simple example, i.e. a one-man Gravity Kills on one hand, the other hand free to indulge other favorite sounds. In Kinzel’s case that’s stuff like Dillinger Escape Plan and whatnot, your basic math-metal-thrash anger-management. He’s got the voice, synth-chops and ax for it, although the math here sounds more like Drive Like Jehu than Dillinger, i.e. some of this would work for the dudes at Hydra Head Records and such and so. A look at the LP title, though, points to a bit of showmanship, which, here, is personified in crazy-sounding movie dialog and stuff, all in the hope of highlighting the subject matter. It’s a good start, absolutely; his next step on this trip will hopefully involve more synth layering fueled by outrage, the inspiration for which can be found anywhere. A- —Eric W. Saeger JP's Music Blog New Englander Otto Kinzel is a music chameleon. He has been or is currently a member of six industrial metal rock bands and recently formed a seventh band, Chemical Distance, three years ago. Finally, last year Otto released his first solo album entitled “We Are All Doomed: The Zodiac Killer.” The songs on this new album were influenced by the Zodiac killings that took place in the San Francisco Bay area in the late 60s/early 70s. Otto also handles most of the instrumentation on the album, except for a few guest spots here and there. The album goes through the events in chronological order, beginning with the hard-hitting, industrial metal sounds of “Two Dead On Lake Herman Rd.” The album reflects a Frank Zappa-style with its storytelling songs like “July 31st” and “Modesto Terror Ride.” Otto is also allowed to expand his sound without restrictions as in “Oct 13,” but his talents lie in the heavy metal sounds of “The Stranger At Lake Berryessa” and “The Trophy (Paul Stine).” The album closes with the 7-minute “Epilogue” as Otto saves some of his best beats and guitar grooves for the end. Uber Rock The name Otto Kinzel may well be a mystery to you but nothing compared to the name of the infamous Zodiac Killer who terrorized the Bay Area communities and law enforcement agencies in the late '60s and early '70s, killing seven (confirmed) victims but claiming to have taken the lives of thirty seven in taunting letters to the local media, all while his identity remained a mystery. Kinzel, a veteran of several New England metal and industrial bands, has now released this, his first solo album, a dark concept record based on the Zodiac case that features amongst its lyrics excerpts of actual communication between the killer and the press. It's an ambitious project, for sure, and a difficult undertaking at that. Spoken word passages collide with crazed time changes as Kinzel strives for a "cinematic narrative" for the record. He achieves it too, to a degree, even if the finished article hardly makes for comfortable listening. The heavier, more metallic, moments hit like a blunt instrument; the moodier pieces actually impressing more if you allow yourself to be absorbed by the record as a whole. The bands from the Bay Area metal scene may well find themselves represented at times but Kinzel seems much more at ease messing up heads with a major Zappa/Mike Patton influence, at their most eclectic, obviously. With some meatier production values behind him Otto could make a real monster. Impressively ambitious and out there though not something you would listen to as you were getting ready to go out....unless, of course, you were getting ready to go out to kill. Worcester Mag The official release of Otto Kinzel's debut solo album will happen in 2011. We Are All Doomed: the Zodiac Killer is a conceptual piece inspired by the infamous Zodiac killings from the late 60's/early 70's in the Bay area, and also the subsequent letters that were sent to the San Francisco Chronicle. The album will outline how one person can hold an entire city in fear. It marks a return to Otto's metal roots after spending the last few years dabbling in industrial/electronic-rock with his other projects: Chemical Distance and Lucretia's Daggers. Musically the album will showcase highly technical musicianship with frequent odd-time rhythm changes, atmospheric textures and multi-layered psychopathic vocals. Influenced by bands like Meshuggah, Dillinger Escape Plan as well as by forward thinking artists Frank Zappa and Mike Patton. This release is not for the timid. The Noise (Boston) Okay, hands up, who’s ever wanted to hear the complete story of the Zodiac Killer set to a blistering metal sound? That many? Good, I’ve found the right crowd. Otto Kinzel’s album is a first for me, and that’s saying something. Each song tackles a different chapter of the Zodiac Killer’s story, from the “Two Dead on Lake Herman Road” to “October 13th” to “I Am NOT Paul Avery.” If you’ve seen any of the movies or are just a fan of the macabre, this one’s going to appeal to you. The music here is a mix, from shredding guitars and growled-out vocals that would leave the throat of a lesser singer bloody and raw, to more melodic instrumentals that give us a break between slayings. Otto’s done his homework in preparation for this album, showing that he’s taking this as a serious project, rather than choosing a dark subject for pure shock value. In “I Want To Report a Murder,” he even includes lines where the killer calls the police to report the murders. Instrumentally, this album’s a good mix, with Otto providing guitar, bass, keyboard and some slick programming work. There’s plenty of guests as well, such as Jeremiah Thomas on the piano for “The Wait,” and Marc Brennan doing drum work on several songs. All in all, this is a very creative product that is more like a novel than a collection of songs. Each one’s a different chapter, and given to us in a different way. Go ahead, give it a read. (Max Bowen) |
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