2020

During the five years between Shape Shift and 2020, two of the styles Zombi pioneered -- imaginary horror film scores and synthwave -- exploded in popularity. Ever the innovators, Steve Moore and A.E. Paterra take the opportunity not to cash in, but to change gears. Far from the sci-fi synth odyssey its title might suggest, 2020 sounds and feels like a vintage prog rock vision of a postapocalyptic future thats become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The heaviness Zombi brings to their seventh album unintentionally but brilliantly captures the mood of its namesake year and also harks back to 2006s Surface to Air and, to a lesser extent, Shape Shift, which Paterra and Moore recorded after their triumphant 2013 tour with their heroes Goblin rekindled their love for playing loud, heavy live music. Theyve never sounded as fiery as they do on the opening track, Breakthrough & Conquer, an onslaught of charging drums and riffs topped with valiant guitar solos courtesy of Phil Manley from Trans Am, another band who made instrumental synth-rock years before it was trendy. Zombis vivid, urgent approach continues with the aptly named Earthscraper, a subterranean beast of a song that sinks deeper into the ground with each grinding riff and each hit of Paterras kit. Its lumbering inevitability sets the tone for much of the album, with songs like Family Man and First Flower echoing its unrelenting plod and wickedly descending melody like aftershocks. Not surprisingly, this weighty sound is the perfect showcase for just how mighty Moore and Paterra are as a rhythm section. Paterra is as dexterous a drummer as ever, but the heavily gated attack he uses on No Damage is satisfying in a purely visceral way that Zombis music hasnt been in some time. Likewise, Moores melodic yet powerful playing on XYZT complements the intertwining guitars and keyboards in inspired ways. While synths arent nearly as dominant on 2020 as they were on albums like Escape Velocity, Zombi still use them artfully, whether they add a phantasmagorical sheen to Fifth Point of the Pentangle or bring the album to its sweeping conclusion on Thoughtforms. The sheer heft Zombi display on 2020 should silence any doubters that they can rock convincingly, formidably hard and bring new dimensions to their music as they continue their legacy. ~ Heather Phares