Cosmic Lava
Hailing from the UK, ZONDERHOOF are here to beat your brain into submission with their relentless brand of bone crunching instrumental rock. It's their debut in 2007 for English label Sound Devastation Records, and what this four Norwegian guys have recorded here is amazing! ZONDERHOOF relies on thick, mean, down-tuned riffs accompanied by sledgehammer drum beats and sometimes bizarre vocal parts, altough this is an instrumental band through and through.. This has so much power, rage and heart that anyone being a fan of heavy music can appreciate it. Musically they sound like a conglomeration of High On Fire meets Gore with a dash of Boris. The reason I find this disc so crucial is the fact that it is totally heavy without being part of the Doom Metal or Sludge "scene" that many bands feel they need to adhere to. ZONDERHOOF does what they want on their own terms and let everyone think for themselves whether or not they like the band. The natural heaviness of the songs is encapsulated in a production as fat and dynamic as all adjectives for describing something fat put together. All four songs hit you like a ton of bricks and make you beg for more, but after 30 minutes this feast of pulverizing riffage is over. This is one of those rare moments when its possible for something so conventionally and unconventionally powerful to be so good. I'm absolutely impressed and I want to hear more!

Metal Hammer
You could place this Cardiff-based instrumental act in the same, weighty Britrock camp as Capricorns and The Art of Burning Water, but 'Zonderhoof' doesn't sound as if it's in need of catharsis, merely dedicated to carving out it's ponderous riffs in cryptic yet captivating fashion, as it has been doing since the dawn of time.

Metalorgie
Under a joyous air hides itself the 1st EP from Zonderhoof, after their demo of 2006, the group evolves with a blend of the stoner and postcore. Instrumental group, Zonderhoof delivers here 4 tracks of an average of 7 minutes, heavy, dense, and reminiscent of a Pelican boost to the darkness of Neurosis (in particular on Bilge Rat). Benefitting from an excellent production for a first EP, the 4 musicians captivate the listener with explosive and hypnotizing riffs (to the surroundings of the 3 minutes on Bilge Rat or of the 6 minutes on All Your Witches And Bitches).

To have an idea of the quality of the pieces, the group makes one think of first period Black Sabbath, or of Electric Wizard for its enigmatic dimensions. Heavy guitars, slow and repetitive battery (in the common sense of the term), the instruments fill the sonorous space of a layer of grease. By moments, voices arise and, although incomprehensible, offer to us of the mysterious litanies (on the last third of Zub or towards the half of Varkens). The cry that opens All Your Witches And Bitches appears bestial, suggesting a return to the primal state.

To finish, Zonderhoof delivers here an extremely promising EP, which under a mask of broken joy joins again with the sources of the rough rock'n'roll. England delivers here an excellent vintage for 2007.

VS Webzine
Do not be misled by the gnome, because the music of Zonderhoof is far from being merry, quite to the contrary. This group originating in England, plays an instrumental music that's resolutely Heavy.

To tell the truth the cover of this EP is a true paradox so much so that the first measurements of "Bigle Rat" want themselves threatening and plunge us into a spiral of blackness. This first pieces strongly recalls Neurosis by the oppressive side but also in the evolution of the piece, just as discrete the samples which bring truly bring something extra.

They begins from a fort good manners, and one continues with "Varkens" and his riffs always so heavy which strikes us. Useless to pass under silence influence from High One Fire, so much this piece with intro conquering (and the solo while one is there), would not have sounded out of place on an album featuring Matt Pike. Throbbing and completely hypnotic.

That corresponds well to the end of "All Your Witches And Bitches", where during more than 3 minutes, the group takes a malicious pleasure in repeating same the riff, and this, without the trouble not pointing the end of its nose. Guaranteed effect, that beats you in the head little by little, this is testing and wonderful at the same time. The fans of Melvins will appreciate.

It finishes with the very heavy "Zub", that carries on in a similar way if not some passages are more mind-blowing or more short-lived. The mood always also flippante, to render you insane. I also could quote their compatriots Capricorns, although the music of Zonderhoof is more monolithic.

They plays well (especially the drummer who does not hesitate to vary his game), the pieces are well constructed but especially they manage to maintain the attention of the listener and this in spite of the repetitive aspect which forms part of the trip. Not something necessarily obvious when one makes the choice to play a completely instrumental music.

It's a pity that the influences are a little too perceptible, but while it is delightful so many heaviness associated to this so dark mood. A first EP that is impressive and should interest a lot of people, sharply the continuation.

Lords Of Metal
Zonderhoof is an instrumental, aggressive and very loud band for sure. Rooted in hard rock, hardcore punk and metal with inspiration from also movie soundtracks, sound effects and electronic music, they bring us their debut. Being forced to listen to Zonderhoof for over half an hour is no punishment at all.

Heavily inspired by Keelhaul, Neurosis, Khanate, Mastodon and The Melvins, they befall you with four megaton heavy songs. Considering they are just together for eighteen months is mind blowing! They figured out quite soon that the power of the song lays in the riff structure and not so much in the details. Zonderhoof is a riff monster! Dark, heavy as hell, simple but complex in play. Strange detail is that there must be a Dutch connection here in this Wales based band. This CD is a danger to all hedgehogs on the road, since this music makes your tires burn!

SonicFrontiers
Like many (most?) stoner metal bands, Zonderhoof bring to mind a group of guys who get together in their garage and center lengthy, energetic jam sessions around slow, sludgy, Sabbathy riffs. They also choose not to restrict their jamming with vocals, though some cheering is heard in a couple parts of the recording. Their 4 song debut manages to capture this feeling perfectly; the recording is clean enough that you can hear everything clearly and conveys the passion imbued in Zonderhoof's lumbering riffs.

...and riff is what the band does. With the exception of the silence between songs, these four songs feature just one thing: the band driving their riffs into the listener's skull over and over again. Zonderhoof do this magnificently with the drums driving the relentless riffs onward while the guitars often complement them with simple but effective melodies. However, the lack of variety means that any 60 second section of this album can do a pretty good job of summarizing what to expect for the other 30 minutes. There is also not much in the way of songs on here; for example opener "Bilge Rat" unexpectedly stops without really going anywhere (it does have an awfully cool lead in the first half). The other songs cover more ground than this, but my focus tends to stray sometime during the last two songs, while more dynamic groups in a similar style, such as Zebulon Pike and Trephine, can keep my attention for as long as their albums play.