Orlando Garcia's wrists are actually quite relaxed. They just don't sound that way, because Lond is a pounder. Listening to him makes you want to throw a slab of cheap chuck between his sticks and his snare head, which he has loosened so it sounds like a war tom. Lond could tenderize that meat in seconds.
Lond, at first the guitarist of Zombie Eating Horse, is also a composer of great originality and variety, mixing up hand beats and foot beats (and even a tiny upside-down cymbal), fast and slow in the same song. Such frameworks make strong racks on which a guitarist can hang nasty riffs and dissonant stings -- although a certain Julian currently holds that role, it's a tribute to Lond's vision that the ZEH sound has remained consistent for over a decade of guitar and bass switch-ups.
Even wordless, Zombie Eating Horse would be music of discontent. But add the roaring despair of vocalist and old friend Jon -- "May the bridges I burn light the way out" -- and it becomes hard to imagine whether feelings or sounds came first; they all speak together.
The beats aren't the only places where surprises keep cropping up: You might hear a pure vocal harmony out of nowhere, or an old-fashioned high-tech guitar solo, or a noise collage. You notice a 13-minute track? It might contain a false ending, or three individual songs. Trip through Zombie Eating Horse's whole catalog; these dudes have fun.
Zombie Eating Horse make metal like no one else's. They come from Whittier by way of Montebello. They played Ozzfest Meets Knotfest in 2017. Their latest single, "Old Monster," came out last Halloween. Their name means whatever you want it to. For other questions, consult the music.
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Zombie Eating Horse plays Knucklehead in Hollywood on Thurs., March 14.
Listen/buy here and on other streaming services.