SURFACE TO AIR

Surface to Air is an album full of heavy Goblin, Tangerine Dream, and Rush influences. Zombi plays a very energetic and aggressive kind of progressive electronic, similar to Cyclone and Force Majeure era Tangerine Dream except a bit on the heavier side. If there ever were a progressive electronic duo to appeal to fans of symphonic progressive rock, Zombi is that band. Something about this album that is hard to ignore is the '70s horror-thriller film soundtrack sound that Zombi seems to pull off so well - this whole album (especially the track "Digitalis" could very well be a Goblin soundtrack for a film by the great Dario Argento. But, this is all original work.

This album does have its beautiful moments, though. A lot of "Night Rhythms" is cold, airy, windy, with serene synthesizers and Genesis' "Watcher of the Skies"-esque mellotron use, all of which work together to create a strong atmosphere that could suggest standing atop a snowy mountain and gazing above the stark, white landscape. This track is an 18+ minute epic, packed with both serenity and aggressive/explosive energy.

Aside from the electronics portion of the Zombi's sound, the bass and drums are equally important. The bass is very heavy with a Chris Squire/Geddy Lee influence and usually creates a great center-point for rock musicians to focus on. The drums are also very powerful, fast, and full of forceful energy as they quickly bat their way through the soundscapes. I usually don't care much for drum kit usage in my prog electronic, but I think it works very well here.

Highly recommended to fans of Force Majeure-era Tangerine Dream and Phenomena-era Goblin.