Zombi is a duo hailing from Pittsburgh. They love Lucio Fulci and John Carpenter, and they want to let it know. But they don’t do grindcore. They’re going for the real thing: they play a music that is quite close to the one you can hear in those glorious directors’ films.

Chilling soundscapes on analog synths strongly reminiscent of the work of John Carpenter-the-composer. But slightly better. And since a little personal work is needed, bass and drums are added.

More and more bands and artists use analog synths these days: new progressive acts, psychedelic bands, noise artists… It’s perfect to get a retro sound. But retro remains nothing but retro, and I’m not one of those people who enjoy that. I need something better, I need a little extra quality.

Thankfully, Steve Moore and A.E. Paterra provide the extra-quality, mainly thanks to their great, driving bass / drums song constructions. The analog synths bits alone would have bored me. But the overall energy keeps the listener focused and will probably guarantee that Zombi will appeal to other people than sci-fi lovers or Tangerine Dream’s freaks.

However, listing Jean-Michel Jarre as an inspiration is a misstep in my book: the man is undoubtedly the king of cheese. And, to be frank, you get your fair share of cheese on Cosmos, although everyone should know that cheese is good in your mouth, not in your ears. Fortunately, Zombi go beyond the cheese and manages to convince in the long run, especially on the …long tracks.

Some good stuff on Cosmos, although Goblin remain the best at providing this kind of music / soundtrack. Zombi’s talent hasn’t gone unnoticed: they are currently working on the score of a film.