Spirit Animal

Album Review

On their 2006 release, Cosmos, it sounded as if the lads in Zombi were obsessed with Moving Pictures/Signals-era Rush. But on their 2009 release, Spirit Animal, it seems like the group has set their sights on Trevor Rabin era Yes (especially on such tunes as the title track). One obvious difference between the group's last two releases is that on Spirit, the duo has now introduced guitar to their synth-heavy sound (without introducing a third member however — bassist/synth player Steve Moore somehow also handles six-string duties). However, Zombi remains a 100-percent instrumental affair, so any chance of this slightly more traditional approach to synth rock crossing over to the masses seems pretty far out of reach. That said, if you're into smartly composed and performed rock — without coming off like a group of dorks merely showing off how many hours they've committed to shredding away on their respective instruments in their bedrooms — Zombi certainly deliver with Spirit Animal.