They’ve Still Got That Hunger, but do we still have the stomach for it 40 years on? The Zombies are back with their sixth studio album (their second in 4 years), after originally calling it quits in the 1960s. As a crowdfunded release, it begs the question if they really do still have that hunger, or if they’re just being greedy.
Opening with ‘Moving On’, the album doesn’t scream that excitement and drive that the title suggests. The overall feel of the track is just very samey; nothing really progresses or catches your attention, it’s just there. It does have the right kind of jazzed-up rhythm to get the hoovering done quickly, but the excess of jazz-piano interludes hyped up with guitar riffs is just too reminiscent of Homeland’s Carrie Mathison to be taken seriously.
In keeping with the crowd-pleasing nature of this crowdfunded project, the album features ‘I Want You Back Again’, a re-released track from album Odessey and Oracle. The track is so polished you can see your own reflection in it – but you just can’t see what was originally there. All the character and gritty vocals of the 1965 version are wiped clean, replaced by a faceless series of sounds that just don’t quite cut it. The album artwork from Odessey, however, was something that was definitely worth re-releasing, so kudos for that.
Similarly, ‘Chasing the Past’ does exactly what it says on the tin, coming three decades too late and sounding seriously outdated. The Zombies have produced an album that is indistinguishable from the previous five, which may have been what the fans who contributed on Pledge Music wanted. Why bother when they probably have all five of those previous albums on vinyl, tape, CD and mp3?
2/5