ALBUM REVIEW: Shun the Reptile – Zombies Ate My Girlfriend

South Africa isn’t a country known for its metal; in fact, when it comes to loud rackets and blaring noises, one’s mind is more likely to envision the vuvuzela, which if you’ve forgotten was the soundtrack to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Now though, the quite brilliantly named ZOMBIES ATE MY GIRLFRIEND are on a mission to change that. Formed in 2012, the band have become a stalwart of the national scene and even bagged a slot supporting PROTEST THE HERO when the latter flew over for a few dates. Today, via Burning Tone Records, the band’s second album Shun the Reptile is released, the follow up to 2015’s Retrocide.

Coming from a country with such a history of conflict and unrest, it’s no surprise that ZOMBIES ATE MY GIRLFRIEND have a lot of spite to unleash through their music and whether it’s the attack on their nation as a whole in the chug-fuelled Immolation or the oppression of religion in Go Fuck Yourself, they can run with the best of them. There’s so much that pounds the senses into submission, from the SLIPKNOT vibes on Nothing Can Save You to the KILLSWITCH ENGAGE tones that are present in Van Eck. Couple these with Gavin Marchbank’s near black metal screams over the top and you have something that’s got a lot of potential behind it, and for large parts of the album this works to their advantage. They even delve into proggier territory with the title track and closing song Icarus, both delivered to good effect.

What becomes an issue is that there’s nothing out of the ordinary over the album’s eight tracks; it would have been nice to see something that gave ZOMBIES ATE MY GIRLFRIEND a little more of an edge to stand out, but even with their styles and tones, it’s been done a lot better in the past and will probably be improved on in the future. Secondly, there’s a lack of coherence as the album progresses; too many cooks spoil the broth as they say and Stun the Reptile falls foul of a variety of different styles not quite working together in harmony. However, there is definite talent within the band’s collective personnel and this will serve them well as their career progresses and they mature as an outfit.

All in all, there is nothing about Shun the Reptile that comes close to reinventing the wheel and it’s a little confusing in places, but for those out there who just want a record of riffs and all-out metal, this ticks those boxes perfectly. ZOMBIES ATE MY GIRLFRIEND are not going to have been on many people’s lips until now; it’s safe to assume that’s about to change.

Rating: 7/10

Shun The Reptile is out now via Burning Tone Records. 

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