SURFACE TO AIR

I find progressive electronic music to be the most boring type of music on this site. It rarely captures my interest because of it's lack of melody, energy, and rhythm. So after hearing some samples of American progressive electronic band Zombi I was really intrigued. It sounded energetic and interesting, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I was impressed by many of the songs, but I found the 18-minute closing track to be boring. While that never changed, some of the other tracks began to tire as well. However, I still do enjoy the entire album except for the 18-minute closing track. If that song had been replaced by some really strong material this album would have been worth at least a four.

Anyway, if I had to recommend a progressive electronic album to any rocker like myself, this would be it. The Neil Peart-like drumming is excellent, and I love the synths on this album. I don't typically enjoy all instrumental music, but I do enjoy Surface To Air. If it wasn't for that last song I would have given this a much higher rating.

THE MUSIC:

"Challenger Deep"- The first song starts with a synth chord progression with some cool drum rolls. When the bass and drums come into full force you realize that this isn't a typical band in the genre. This song has some great grooves, and it's a solid opener.

"Digitalis"- This starts with an analog-sounding synth and a drum beat going along with it. Around 2 minutes in the riff changes, and it is followed by excellent mellotron. This is another great song!

"Legacy"- This is the reason why I bought this album. I heard it and I was immediately intrigued. This is my favorite song off of the album, and everything is perfect in my opinion. The energetic riff, the excellent drumming, and the way the song builds off of one riff. This has great mellotron use and synth lines. This is by far the best off of the album. If the entire album were like this I swear it would have been a five star album.

"Surface To Air"- The main melody is dark and energetic, and I really like the drumming. It has a nice break in the middle that sounds very Pink Floyd-ish. This is another really good song.

"Night Rhythms"- This is my one and only problem with this entire album. This song is a bore to be honest, and it has most of what I don't like about progressive electronic music in it. It has some really cool moments, but it didn't have the material to be almost 19 minutes in length. This is a disappointment.

Conclusion:

Surface To Air is a good album that I really enjoy. The closing track is not good, but the rest of the album is great. That's why this album is so frustrating! It could have been so great, but sadly it doesn't live up to its full potential. I'm on the fence between a 3 and a 4 star rating for this album. It is really good, and I recommend this to any prog rock fan. Since it is not essential, and almost 20 minutes of the album isn't that good I'll give it a 3. But this is a very high 3 star rating that I recommend to anyone looking for energetic, synth-driven prog rock.

3 stars.

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