Album Review: Zombi - Direct Inject
Reviewed by Patrick O'Reilly
Zombi returns with a new album, the two-piece instrumental band formed by Steve Moore and A. E. Paterra have wowed listeners over the years with their unique blend of movie soundtrack synths, driving bass and complex yet funky drumming. This time there is a very improvisational feel to the music, the band feel like they are just out there playing, and this means the tracks have a loose, jam-like quality to them.
Opening with a fast-paced number ‘Direct Inject’ that sounds like theme to an American news bulletin the album gets off to an energetic start, things slow down though and get more metallic with track 2 ‘So Mote It Be’ which has a rough and raw industrial metal feel to it.
Standout moments include ‘Sessuale II’ with its sultry laid-back vibe, track 7 ‘The Post-Atomic Horror’ which mixes a doom metal atmosphere in with the synth and drums and track 8 ‘Insurmountable Odds’ which sounds like it was lifted straight from Goblin’s ‘Dawn of the Dead’ soundtrack, very Italian and very cool!!
Overall, the musicianship is of the highest quality, as one has come to expect from this band, the recording is perfection, each instrument clear and vital in the mix yet somehow this album does not seem to grab me as Zombi’s previous releases have, maybe it is the more improvisational nature of the tracks? Zombi remains, however, an essential band, one who combine artistry and atmospherics into a tantalising mixture, a band that is nostalgic yet brand new and one that always provides interesting and thought-provoking music.
