On May 21, San Francisco Bay Area band Zed will be releasing their sophomore abum, Desperation Blues. The band’s riffy stoner-ish rock brings to mind Clutch and early Soundgarden. We’re proud to bring you the premiere of “Killing Machine.” Here’s what bassist Mark Aceves had to say about the track:

When we came together as a band in 2007 there was a strong metal meets punk vibe right off the bat. We would screw around with heavy riffs – play them backwards, slow them down and eventually double time them. That is what Zed became based on. As time went by, the southern rock influence became a big part of our style as well. Just hard hitting riffs that are not smothered in effects.

“Killing Machine” lyrically is about people who pretend to like or care about you, but just eventually tear you down with their words, until you call them out on it. But ultimately it can be about whatever you want. Just know this … it will take you for a ride! With influences that range from Queens of the Stone Age and Clutch to AC/DC, you know the song is gonna drive you.  This song is very dear to the band because its where we came from. Wide open Les Pauls, Gibson bass powered by Ampeg & thundering drums, the louder it gets the better it is, this is Killing Machine.  Enjoy.”

You can pre-order Desperation Blues here, where you can also hear another song from the album. But first, listen to “Killing Machine” in the stream below.

[audio:https://metalinsider.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/03-Killing-Machine.mp3]