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Zombie Picnic: Rise Of A New Ideology

With a name like Zombie Picnic, you could be forgiven for thinking that this Irish outfit are snot nosed punk rockers, or possibly a grooving group of goth n' rollers, however neither could further from the truth. Comprising Brian Fitzgerald on bass, Jim Griffin and Dave Tobin on guitar, alongside Brendan Miller behind the kit, this day out with the zombies is in fact an instrumental excursion into progressive post rock. To be truthful there's also a slew of other elements involved and tying this lot down to one specific sound and shape is pleasantly awkward. Everything from atmospheric space walks to generously bulging riff fuelled combustions being dished out; little spoken word samples often introducing tracks and setting unsettling scenes for what's to come.

Building on their debut album - the cassette only A Suburb Of Earth – the attack is clean and sharp on the energetic "They See Science As Dangerous" but then it's also relaxed and controlled. The spoken word sections buried deep in the vibe and talking of social upheaval and disconnect; a changing of the guard and simple dissatisfaction with what we've learned to accept as the norm. Musically the base for this short, but clear message is perfect for the challenging tone, Miller confidently hammering round the toms with an authority that lends the whole exercise real power and force. Fitzgerald does likewise, locking in tight with his rhythmical partner and yet still able to click perfectly with a twin guitar attack that's equally happy ripping out a searing solo as it is powering along on a juggernaut riff.

The loose jangle that those six-strings create on "Life-Support Systems" lands somewhere between indie rock slacker, the classic 60s rock of the Stones or even Cream, but then there's also a swipe of psych and pulsating push of Pink Floyd that drives home a deceptively wholesome hammering of different hues and textures. However, to be safe, it's best to clunk-click every trip and with the rip roar and respond of rifferama that makes up "Anger In Storage (Denial Will Follow)", when Zombie Picnic ease their foot to the floor, boy do they deliver. And yet, they also know when to strip it back and the intervening sections that break up the head pound of guitars slip and slither through an echoing female spoken voice and chime of unease. It's a heck of a trip, all expertly packaged in some sumptuously refined retro-colours but with a clear nod to the here and now.

With a (very) limited CD run of Rise Of A New Ideology, this album is available mainly on the big black stuff and that feels like the perfect style in which to experience the tight looseness Zombie Picnic create.


Track Listing
1. Democracy Cannot Survive
2. They See Science as Dangerous
3. DEFCON
4. Life-Support Systems
5. See Beyond
6. Anger in Storage (Denial Will Follow)

Added: March 4th 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Zombie Picnic at bandcamp
Hits: 2316
Language: english

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