Okay. I must admit. I have been late to the party on a few occasions as far as music is concerned. I had another one of these occasions pop up recently. I happened to come across this Faction Zero record that was released almost 6 months ago. All I am going to say is. “Where the hell have I been? Me being an old school New Jersey kid myself, I got into this pretty quick. The band is FACTION ZERO and the album is called LIBERATION.
Coming at you fast and furious with a sick guitar crunch out the gate with the track, GIVE AND TAKE, they show you how it’s done. Singer, Rob Di Marco lets you know right off the bat, that he doesn’t give a fuck and he’s not giving up, neither. Then, my favorite track, COME FULL CIRCLE, comes on. That shit is off the chain! Gang vocal circle pit attack, right there! Next, is the title track, LIBERATION. Another solid track that brings you right back to that old school crossover DRI style. Absolutely solid on guitar, Chris Dalessandro’s playing has all the groove of an old ST record and all the crunch of an old BULLDOZE record. I can almost feel the Garden State parkway running through my veins while listening to this one.
AGE OF VIOLENCE is another killer song. Dave Urban’s bass rattle in the background of this song is enough to get you throwing some hands! Songs like BOTTOM END and A FAR CRY, another one of my favorite tracks on this release, also showcase what this band has to offer. The band continue their assault with Dave showing off the bass skills on the song CHOICES, and another strong track, THE NEXT WAR, as well. Songs like INTRO and INSIDE are all further proof this band has its act together.
The band gets to let out their frustrations with the next song called, VENT. The drumming on this track by Rob Youells is on point as well. DEPRESSION, the next track, with all the build up and back-and-forth vocal style mixing with a thrash metal feel kept me sucked in, I must admit. THE CHAIN and MISGUIDED continue to bring you that hardcore groove that we love. Rob’s vocals are raspy, but very clear and profound throughout the entire record as well. THE TIES OF INTEGRITY is another solid track that showcases the band’s crossover appeal. And the next track, WHEN THINGS SLOW DOWN, is anything but slow! It’s all circle pit right there. And lastly, they close the record with MINDSET. This song has the heaviest guitar chug and an awesome breakdown as well. Loaded with attitude, this is definitely a record you want to check out. I happened to get in touch with singer Rob Di Marco who gave us a quick rundown of the album.
GIVE AND TAKE
This song is about having balance. It’s not your typical hardcore song, though it has breakdowns and slam parts.
COME FULL CIRCLE
Come full circle is our way of saying “What comes around, goes around”. If you hate me, you probably hate yourself more. If you’re a bully, you’ll get bullied. And if you’re a scumbag, you’ll get yours too!
LIBERATION
Liberation is about the war within to find your true self and the struggles that confront us along the way.
AGE OF VIOLENCE
The song and the title is original. The song speaks for itself. It’s basically about how everyone thrives on violence. Violence is an aphrodisiac to the mind. As human beings, we have that animal instinct and when we delve into it, it takes over.
BOTTOM END
This song is about hitting your bottom end. Addiction and recovery.
A FAR CRY
This is a song about imagination and saying “What if everything we were taught about religion and faith were not real? What if everything you believed in were all lies?”
CHOICES
This is a song about being in high school and having to choose what to do with the rest of your life. But with the mind of a teenager, it’s easy to make the wrong choice.
THE NEXT WAR
This was originally a Gore Core song from the late 80’s which was a band that Dave and I were in. It was nicknamed the big wheel song because the riff reminded us of riding a big wheel down the street. It was originally written by a New Jersey Hardcore Skinhead Legend named Iggy. Basically, it’s about waking up one day and finding yourself at war. So you light up a joint and say, “fuck it”!
INSIDE
This song is about standing up for what you believe in and making a difference by doing something and moving into action. In your mind and in your soul, what you are really made of.
VENT
Vent is about having an avenue to release tension and an outlet to release your anger.
DEPRESSION
This song is another original, but deranged song. Chris wrote the lyrics. I believe it has personal meaning to him. Specifically, about his father.
THE CHAIN
This is the first song I wrote for Faction Zero. It’s about using and relapsing and all the insanity.
MISGUIDED
This song always had a Sex Pistols feel to it, vocally. It’s about how we screw our children, daily. Each generation gets worse than the last, even though we progress technologically.
THE TIES OF INTEGRITY
This song is about being too far gone and having no hope. Being in a zombie state. Both drug-inflicted and self-inflicted.
WHEN THINGS SLOW DOWN
This song is about how things slow down a bit as we get older. Respect your elders!
MINDSET
Mindset is about being strong-willed and not being close minded. Mindset is about thinking for yourself!
Currently, FACTION ZERO is looking to become a five-piece band and is searching for a new bass player to complete the new lineup.
If interested, contact the band at [email protected]. For bookings and shows, please contact [email protected].
