When Amebix called it a day in the late-'80s and Rob "The Baron" Miller relocated to the Isle of Skye to become a swordsmith, the remaining members (Stig, Spider, and G. Smutpig)—joined by bassist Tim Crow, who had played with Smutpig in the Smartpils—carried on as Zygote.
As (rightfully) renowned as Amebix is, Zygote doesn't seem to be nearly as widely recognized. Releasing just one cassette (Zygote, 1990) and one full-length (A Wind of Knives, 1991) during their three- to four-year existence—the oddly incomplete posthumous '89 - '91 collection also including a handful of additional live recordings—their style was very reminiscent of Killing Joke ("Jellyhead," in particular), and actually comparable to the Smartpils as well. A perfect fusion of dark, eerie aggression with an awesome sense of urgent energy and fantastic songwriting, I see no real reason why Amebix fans wouldn't appreciate 'em.
Coincidentally, the Bandcamp label Crash Course made A Wind of Knives available for free download just last month, so get on that. I only wish the complete demo was available, too!
