Zond was the name of a Soviet space exploration program in the 1960's. Unmanned capsules were rocket-launched for the purpose of investigating nearby planets in our solar system. Unfortunately for the Russians, none of the probes achieved much more than a lunar fly-by.
Half a century later, a band by the same name is taking its listeners on a musical journey light years further into the cold dark vastness of deep space. Zond is an Australian quintet that easily surpasses any other heavy shoegaze band in the universe for originality, substance and style. This is the dark side of shoegaze. Its dark, furious, isolated, claustrophobic and drenched with LSD. Casual listening will call to mind the heaviest psych cuts on the Loveless album; but don't stop there. I don't know if Kevin Shields has heard this but if he has, he must be impressed. Zond is not emulating Shields, as is often the case with shoegaze. The beauty here is that the psychedelic and schizophrenic roller coaster is ordered. This is very controlled chaos. Nothing by accident. Every guitar and synth seems to be moving in different directions and the free jazz-like drums are scattering, like a spacecraft being pulled apart by the earth's heat upon re-entry; but when you awake, it was all a dream, a trick. Everything is fine. You're safe...for the moment.
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