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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Buzz-Works

Zombie Influx

Review by Gary Hill

This disc includes contributions from the members of the duo Nox Arcana. Musically this is similar to the sound of that group at times, but it also goes into territory where they usually don’t. It’s a concept album about the rise of the zombies. I’d say it fits even more into progressive rock than Nox Arcana does, though.


This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010  Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Ground Zero

This is very creepy with sound effects blending with the sounds of hundreds of zombies. If feels like it would be at home in some horror movie. There is a section later with pounding sounds, musical and yet not. Ambient elements eventually join and end it.

Satellite Radiation

The title pretty much tells you what this moody piece of keyboard ambience sounds like. It’s sedate, but far from restful.

Defcon Six

This is a public address about the zombies.

Creeping Death

Tribal percussion and other world music elements are merged here with intriguing ambient sounds to create something unique. It’s gentle and pretty, but dangerous.

Echoes of the Living

At points this is more sound effects and atmosphere and less real music. It’s definitely a unique piece. There’s a nervous sense of danger built into it.

Doomsday

This one is closer to the type of music Nox Arcana does. It is lush and powerful and also creepy and moody.

The Feeding

This truly feels like something from a horror movie soundtrack. Jazz elements and other sounds are woven together to create an intriguing and dangerous piece of music.

Warning Signs

There is more of the spoken warning here. It’s got a driving rhythm section behind it and makes me think a bit of Hawkwind’s “Sonic Attack.”

The Dawn

Ambient musical elements move around each other in this mellow, but not restful, piece.

Dead Run

This is cool. There’s a driving rhythm, created by piano. Other keyboard elements work across the top. This is another piece that feels more like Nox Arcana.

Post Mortem

Ambient and very spooky, this has some space rock built into it.

The Panic Spreads

A siren and more announcements make up this short number.

Transmutation

Here we have a harder rocking piece that’s closer to Nox Arcana territory. It’s one of the more energized numbers on show and really works nicely.

The Pain of Dying

This one is weird effects and ambience with bursts of more powerful music.

Armageddon

A powerhouse, nearly classical arrangement makes up this track. It rises further up towards rock music than anything to this point. It also has plenty of sound that feels like Nox Arcana. There’s an explosion at the end, serving as the climax.

Dead Life

This feels like the aftermath of the Armageddon in the previous piece. It’s quiet, but there are bits of life, just very strange life. It really feels alien.

Flesh Eaters

Weird ambience swirls around in this piece, after a siren starts it. News reports about the zombies come across at times and there are some awesome keyboard elements in this piece.

Ravenous

Featuring some of the voice overs previously heard on the disc, the music here is very much in a neo classical progressive rock style and it rocks out, to the level of TSO type music at times. It’s definitely a highlight.

Zombie Influx

 If I’m not mistaken, the voice over during the first part of this is the recording found in the cabin in “The Evil Dead.” There are plenty of other voice overs during this, though. Musically it’s driving, but more in a techno manner.

 
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