Concombre Zombi
Daylight Comes
Psychobilly*US Label / Hairball8 Records
Official release date Oct 4, 2005
 

CD Reviews

Chemical X Magazine, 2006
    This is a dark ride, true to the real horror aspects of Psychobilly. The band name is derived from an actual root used in voodoo to make living zombies -- think The Serpent and the Rainbow.. Yeah, that was for real. This transplanted trio spans the width of the country, literally. Guitarist and singer Mark Canepa was reppin the infamous San Francisco scene in Hayride to Hell, drummer Destin Pedger grew up in the Florida street punk scene, and the two of them found bassist Ralphy somewhere in Texas when they decided to call Austin home. You'd also be hard pressed to find another band that does so much to rep and create the scene. Most bitch about not having one, these guys are doing something about it.
    The album itself is nice and evil, with deep roaring vocals, super fast drumming and insanely speedy bass slaps. The guitar really brings it all together. I couldn't tell you Mark's influences, but it's reminiscent of Metallica meets Link Wray. There's a lot harmony to his style, he does well to use squeals and interesting rhythms, all while holding down a backbone of heavy distortion. There are tons of stand out songs, so you really should just go buy it. Drummer Destin Pledger just founded King Fing'r records, putting out the outstanding disc from The Loose Skrews. www.chemicalxmagazine.com
San Diego Punk, Jan 2006
    I know for the majority of people Psychobilly was a passing fad with bands like Tiger Army and Nekromantix but there is still an over abundance of psycho bands out there, a couple of them are actually quite good, so is the case with Texas' Concombre Zombi. This 13 track album is what would happen if Lemmy from Motorhead sang for Demented Are Go. This album is the shit! Beautifully mixed, vocals that are largely more gravely and coarse than most of the psycho bands still around. Keep an eye out for this band to be a staple in the underground psycho scene, or leading the pack if there's ever a psycho resurgance. - Matt Smith, www.sandiegopunk.com
Skratch Magazine, November 2005
    You are a back-seat passenger riding through Texas. The acid is starting to take over. As you cross into Mexico, the sun is disappearing. You notice that the car is being driven by wild-eyed, criminal strangers looking for trouble. Concombre Zombi's DAYLIGHT COMES would be the perfect disc to be playing. It's a perfect psychobilly disc, pure and cohesive. Some of the best of the best are "Honeymoon in Hell", "Evil Machine", and "The Ripper". Concombre Zombi is waiting for you to get in the back seat. Do it. -H. Barry Zimmerman, www.skratchmagazine.com
Under The Volcano #88, Nov/Dec 2005
    Sounding like a gang of fiery-eyed bandito demons blazing across the ghost deserts of Mexico on a one-way mission to spread death and destruction, Concombre Zombi stirs up a raging dust storm of purgatorial Psychobilly wildness that's as seductive and charming as it is savage and beastly. Daylight Comes is the band's full-length debut, and it's a frightening, tombstone-rattling roar of dark and decadent delights, an unholy electrified chorus of hellfire-and-brimstone rhythms as brought to you by Buckeroo Lucifer himself. Mark Canepa picks, strums, and strafes the ol' six-string with his fingertips afire, and he grunts and growls like a drunken, rabid werewolf who eats nubile human flesh for a midnight snack and chases it down with a blood-and-moonshine cocktail straight out of a fruit jar. Ralphy (no last name) mangles and plucks his upright bass as if the hounds of Hell are nipping at his backside and perdition is waiting just around the corner with a fistful of torment. Destin Pledger knocks the complete mortal crap out of his drum kit with the precision and finesse of a locomotive rumbling across a rickety bridge constructed of cow bones and barbed wire. Whoo-doggy and heck yeh indeed, Daylight Comes is a devilish hot-tamale cacophony from deep in the heart of Hades! Hang on tightly to your souls, kiddies! -Moser, www.underthevolcano.net
Whoopsy Magazine, Nov 2005
    Let the record reflect: psychobilly has never been one of my favorite genres. But Concombre Zombi's strong debut, Daylight Comes, has led me to a greater appreciation of hellhound rock 'n' roll music. This trio based in Austin and Round Rock, TX unabashedly plays with a scary slasher mentality. The title track announces the dawning of an often overlooked musical niche that has been carved by a steadily growing fanbase of horror flick junkies. This is rock by rabid madmen - and it has razor sharp teeth.
    With a Dia De Los Muertos flair, "The Ripper" had my undivided attention. Some notable moments are the howling good time of "Hellhounds", the in-your-face verbal assault of "It's Killin' Me", and "Honeymoon in Hell", which conjures up images of a devilish bridal suite. Guitarist Mark Canepa's vocals recall a young Hetfield of Metallica fame, and delight in the macabre, while Ralphy on bass and Destin Pledger on drums contribute eerie, unsettling back-up vocals throughout the lucky 13 tracks. Toward the end of the album, the horror theme seemed almost out of musical fuel for the fire, but wait a minute... Other tracks that bring the psychobilly madness are "Purgatory Souls” with its taunting bass and vocals, and the fear-inspiring dead end, "Buried Alive".
    Concombre Zombi's psychobilly pride shines throughout. This album and band will be a welcome addition to the horror music family. And a few tracks would be perfect for a good slice 'em & dice 'em flick. Perhaps this hot young band will one day contribute to a future "From Dusk Till Dawn" movie soundtrack? Let's hope Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez read this. For purchase information go to www.concombrezombi.com or check your local record store. -Danna Williams, www.whoopsymagazine.com
HighWire Daze Magazine, Nov 2005
    This album starts out with some lovely acoustic flamenco guitar, much like one might hear on one of those TV infomercials with that old guy with the long fingernails, explaining how to play the guitar. Suddenly, the dreamy music breaks into distortion, frantic drums, and booming upright bass lines. The debut full-length album from one of Austin, Texas’ finest bands is filled with sick beats and psychedelic riffs, ghoulish vocals and clever rhymes. This mad trio is “slappin’ hard, pickin fast,” as they howl in the song, 'Psychobilly Madness'. Concombre Zombi waste no time singing about petty and cliché topics such as love, friends, and parties, but instead prefer the more serious and inevitable matters such as death, destruction, and the afterlife. Daylight Comes is definitely fun to listen to, but most of all, I’m just a sucker for anything with the word “zombie” in it. -Jennifer Swann, www.highwiredaze.com
Interpunk.com - The Ultimate Punk Music Store, Oct 2005
    Out of Austin, TX, Concombre Zombi is a band pushing the limits of what people typically expect from a psychobilly artist. Yes there is a mix of rockabilly and punk going on here. For certain there is speedy slapping from the upright bass. And without a doubt there are horror movie motifs galore. But throw in the mix some flamenco guitar, Led Zeppelin pedal effects and a perfectly galloping rhythm section …well you've got an urgent but polished piece of rock n' roll freedom! Long hailed as the best of the bunch when it comes to psychobilly bands from Texas, the new album from Concombre Zombi titled "Daylight Comes" is much more than straight psychobilly. www.interpunk.com
Slug Magazine, Sept 2005
    Concombre Zombi = Demented Are Go + Anti Nowhere League + Hayride to Hell. An extremely aggressive psychobilly band, Concombre Zombi keeps things intense without falling into the trap of being just another punk band with a stand-up bass. While songs like "Hellhounds" and "Buried Alive" will leave blisters in your ears, they do slow it down enough on "Haunted Heart" to keep from killing you with this record. Rumbling rhythms and gravel-throated vocals are just a few charming qualities that any fan of psychobilly, punkabilly, or George A. Romero movies will love about this record. -James Orme, www.slugmag.com

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