Once in awhile, thematic bands and albums bring joy to my life. Thematic, dramatic, cinematic, and always with that touch of self-deprecation and comic relief - such bands and the albums they produce can be refreshing in a pool that only gets deeper each month. The secret to success for these bands is for them to not take themselves too seriously. They're already veering towards the theatrical - although without the symphonic element - and to delve deeper into their personal Freudian complexities would be too much to handle.

ZOMBIE INC of course is one of these "thematic" bands, and by virtue of their name alone, it is easily inferred that they are all about death and zombies and all that morbidity - which is easily confirmed through the examination of their lyrics. Despite all that darkness, they manage to bring colour and variety to their act with ingeniously named songs such as "The Rocking Dead" and what must easily be the crowd favourite: "Cum Undone". With band members whose names make them sound like academics or members of some royal family, it is interesting to see them take the mickey out of themselves. In terms of the music, ZOMBIE INC remains true to their stand of taking up old school Death Metal. The intense breakdowns, unrelenting rhythm, and brutal vocals all follow the tried and true old Death Metal path, but ZOMBIE INC do something different here; they take theatrics up to a new level.

Nearly each song is laced with atmospheric and cinematic elements - sound clips featuring terrified women convulsing - leaving it to the listener to form an image for themselves. It is grotesque and off-putting, but that's the whole point. ZOMBIE INC doesn't compromise their identity for appeal factor, neither do they seem to care any less about how mainstream music audiences will react - in fact, the more affected the listener is, the closer the band is to achieving their goal. It can be said that Homo Gusticus has some elements of Shock Rock in it - the band themselves go into full SLIPKNOT upon during performances - costumes that for better or for worse, serve to make an impression. By this logic, the music too should provide some shock value. However, ZOMBIE INC remains an act with an old-school Death Metal leaning. There are no bizarre instances of experimentation and the only splash of colour comes from the sound clips. This doesn't mean that this is a boring record; it is in fact a good Death Metal record. It is only not as brutal, or as musically affecting as I thought it would be.

Overall, the album is very entertaining, but there remains something to be desired musically. ZOMBIE INC are definitely a creative bunch, in a cheeky way too, and it is with certainty that I sign off this review with the belief that they could have offered much more. That being said, it was a departure from the usual over-serious offerings from the Death Metal pool - making ZOMBIE INC standouts in their own right.