Album Reviews

- by Tom Dumarey

On their first self-released album since ‘A Passage In Time’ 17 years ago, Arizona’s Authority Zero once again mix punk rock and reggae in the same way they have been doing for the past 20+ years. ‘Persona Non Grata’ comes with a dozen new additions to the Authority Zero songbook, all of which are as big on energy as they are on melody.

It’s not that they are reinventing the wheel here. You get what you expect from Authority Zero. Always sturdy, always solid. But even then there are differences between cuts like the riotous opening track that is ‘A Blind Eye’ or the heavy-hitting ‘Atom Bomb’ and reggae jam ‘Shake The Ground’ and ‘Back From The Dead,’ which would have been better off left dead.

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Authority Zero, but am still waiting for their first flawless album. There are always a handful of songs that hit that sweet spot between aggression and melody along with a couple of tracks that well, don’t hit quite as hard. And while ‘Persona Non Grata’ isn’t that flawless album either, there’s still plenty to enjoy on here for fans of melodic punk rock.

Track listing:

1. A Blind Eye
2. Derailed
3. Persona Non Grata
4. Atom Bomb
5. Ah Hell
6. Shake the Ground
7. Mush Mouth
8. The Bright Side
9. Back from the Dead
10. On the Outside
11. Damage Control
12. Rights This Way