new interview with matt zuber with Zone 13 out of Canada

    Article from Russian magazine Dark City.

Matt Zuber/Future Driven:
Mettle                                                                                                           Review of Matt Zuber's Mettle
(Independent)

Future Driven is the pet project of Matt Zuber, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and member of ex-Anthrax lead singer Joey Belladonna’s latest band. As if his plate isn’t full enough, he also found the time to wax his own solo CD, Mettle. Backed by drummer Nathaniel Davis, Zuber pounds his way through eight heavy-duty tracks. “It’s Your Time” begins with an ominous, droning tone before leaping through a number of time signatures. Chugging riffs abound on this opening salvo.

Zuber thanks his vocal coach, producer Michael Sheppard, in the credits for helping him to suck less. That’s pretty funny, but Matt’s tongue must be firmly planted in his cheek because his vocals are top notch. This is especially evident on “Tragedy”, an acoustic driven number that graduates into a catchy 4/4 hook. The harmonies are a very nice touch as well.

“Want You To Know” is a typical anthem ballad that segues into “Bloodline”; a metal march that features Zuber’s lead guitar chops on a searing solo. “Decision” is dark and brooding with a slow burn melody and great Alice In Chains vocals. The one thing in common throughout the recording is the strength of the sound and the material. Each and every track to emerge from Zuber’s pen is well thought out and masterfully executed. “Dark Daze” also employs the Staley/Cantrell sound as melancholy counterpoint harmonies dance above the rocking rhythm section bubbling underneath. “The Night The World Will Cry” slows things down a bit with an acoustic approach, then “You Cross The Line” ends the too-short disc with majestic synthesizers that lend an orchestral feel to the offering without being cheesy or overdone. One thing is certain, on Mettle, Zuber certainly proves his. -Mark Bounds

03                                                                                 

(Independent)      Interview with Joey Belladonna - Vocals   (From Blasting-Zone.com)

    Throughout our brief albeit adventure-filled careers as music journalists, we have been presented with countless opportunities to “rub elbows” with the creme de la creme of the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal genres. However, rarely (if ever) have we been afforded an audience with an individual as esteemed (in my ever so humble opinion, at least) as former Anthrax vocalist Joey Belladonna.

    On the breathtaking 03 (2003), an painstakingly assembled eleven song collection of passionately ear-pleasing Heavy Metal, each track, beginning with the impossibly infectious “Never Safe”, and the scalding “Can’t Erase It”, immediately commands the undivided attention of even the most jaded and unimaginative of listeners (myself most definitely included) with a refreshingly airtight blend of soaring harmonies and maddeningly punishing rhythms.

    Continuing with the relentless “Live Up To You”, and the angst-ridden “Crimes Of Passion”, the fist-pumping, mosh-inducing “good times” steamroll forward at a carefully measured pace, allowing both Belladonna (who also deftly performed all drums contained herein) and previously unknown guitarist/bassist Matt Zuber to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with while treading lightly on the arguably hallowed ground of the past.

    Other standouts, including the blistering “Never Let You Down”, and the equally impressive “How It’s Gonna Be”, offer compelling further sonic evidence (although at this point, when taking Belladonna’s “back catalog” into consideration, none is actually needed) of the seemingly unparalleled lyrical and musical ingenuity undoubtedly necessary for such a daunting (i.e. career makeover) undertaking.

    Despite the undeniable presence of an occasionally disappointing overall lack of sound quality (03 was, after all, a self-financed, self-produced and self-recorded venture), the majority (if not all) of the decidedly tuneful wares contained throughout 03 effectively re-solidify Belladonna’s once steadfast reputation as one of the elite and premier front men amid an already overpopulated genre.

    Even if you somehow find yourself able to resist (and even if you could, why would you want to?) the almost intoxicatingly delectable fruits of Belladonna and Zuber’s more than considerable efforts, the dedication, enthusiasm and talent at the epicenter of each fiery composition is nothing if not awe-inspiring. This, my friends, is quite possibly as good as it gets.