Newzerror is a new two-piece band hailing from a small town in Aotearoa New Zealand called Matamata. Anything but small, Rick and Dee’s sound on their debut single You smashes through the ceiling with some straight forward no-nonsense metal sure to get you up and moshing.
Front person Dee delivers a particularly compelling performance with her airy, almost spooky, vocals. The ethereal magical feel blends perfectly with the music and her octave above backing vocals nicely accentuate the main lyrics. The frequencies and inflections she attains are only achievable through exceptionally powerful and practiced singing.
Rick, a former drummer for Hamilton rock bands 8Forty8 and Medusa Glare, lays down the compelling backbone for this foundational release. Drums don’t deviate much from a solid four on the floor throughout the track and the unwavering rhythm guitar, with its polished Metallica feel, helps produce a style that sits appositely between old school and industrial metal genres.
Somehow creating musical space while entirely filling up the void, Newzerror’s debut single achieves that wall of sound all good metal bands must strive for. Much of this pleasing aural experience is accomplished through engineer Scott Seabright’s perfect mix, which allows the vocals to take centre stage while also letting every nuance of the instruments shine through.
Newzerror is definitely a band you should keep an eye on.
Newzerror formed in 2021 by couple Rick Walker (drums,guitars,bass) and Dee Ellis (vocals, keys) from Matamata, New Zealand. Having met 5 years earlier in Bay of Plenty Metal Band Ten Tonne Terror, they have a strong musical connection that has become unleashed between them in the unique form of Melodic/Industrial Metal band Newzerror - 2 kids and 3 years later!
With a metal influenced background but spending most of his musical career playing rock music, Rick has been the drummer with groups such as Hamilton rock band 8Forty8. Since 2015 he has performed with Hamilton rock band Medusa Glare who are currently receiving some good airtime and reviews on their two latest singles and previous 2x EP’s. Rick has always had a desire to create a metal album playing not only drums but also guitars, and he is proud to have achieved this with Newzerror.
Dee has mostly played in covers bands since she was 16 starting out on keys and backing vocals in Napier band Third Party, lead vocalist and keys in originals & covers band Fire & Ice (later renamed Icefire), and more recently Tauranga covers band Ignite (with Rick featuring on drums since 2017). Her band Icefire received great accolades; winning best entertainment with the NZ Wedding Industry Awards in 2015 and People’s Choice Award for best band in 2012 with NZ Corporate Events Guide. Dee performed on an almost weekly basis for 10 years up until 2020, taking a break after having her 2nd child. Metal was a new path for her when she joined Ten Tonne Terror in 2016, and now she's smashing out tunes such as Newzerror's You there’s no turning back!