ILLENIUM, Excision, Wooli & Valerie Broussard, Zombie | COVERS

In the 25th edition of COVERS (2025), ILLENIUM, Excision, Wooli & Valerie Broussard deliver a compelling rendition of “Zombie,” originally performed by The Cranberries.

Ah, it’s time to get cozy and cover up! In COVERS, we highlight a musician or band covering songs by another musician (likely a popular musician). COVERS focuses solely on the musician who covers.  It is open to established musicians and musicians who may not be as well-known. In the 25^th edition of COVERS (2025), ILLENIUM, Excision, Wooli, and Valerie Broussard deliver a compelling rendition of “Zombie”, originally performed by The Cranberries.

“In your head, in your head / Zombie, zombie, zombie, eh-eh.” In 1994, the Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries (R.I.P. Dolores O’Riordan) released a protest song for the ages: “Zombie”. O’Riordan penned this classic about unrest between Ireland and England (“It’s the same old theme, since 1916”) and most specifically, a 1993 bombing by the Irish Republican Army that killed two English children (“Another head hangs lowly / Child is slowly taken”).  A fair share of musicians have covered “Zombies,” including Bad Wolves, Miley Cyrus, and dance/electronic musicians ILLENIUM, Excision, and Wooli.  ILLENIUM, Excision, and Wooli tapped Valerie Broussard to channel her inner Dolores O’Riordan on their striking and transformative cover/remix of “Zombie”.

Fittingly, “Zombies” in ILLENIUM and company’s hands begin in a foreboding, moody fashion. Early on, you can hear the updated sound palette, which fits a dance/electronic cut.  Valerie Broussard shines with her lovely, expressive vocals. Despite the contrast in voices, Broussard does a fabulous job, particularly the vocal nuances that appear during the chorus (lyrics excerpted earlier). Backtracking, the synths that enter during the pre-chorus  (“But you see, it’s not me, it’s not my family…”) add to the colorful musical accompaniment.  Beyond the chorus, the drop is sick, fierce, mean-sounding, and robust; it kicks ass and takes names! More ass is kicked when the super-aggressive, nasty synths arrive after the two-minute mark, built around repeated key lyrics, “What’s in your head.” After drifting from the traditional form, some of the refinement of the original song returns after the 2:35 mark (Broussard sings “eh-oh…”), with the second verse arriving at the 2:50 mark. A sick beat, and calmer, mellower pads and synths anchor the second verse. No worries! The chorus returns in all its glory at 3:37 in.  “Zombie” ratchets up again by the four-minute mark with assertive, harder synths and a heavier beat. At the 4:27 mark, ILLENIUM and company bring it down.  It is an arduous task to reimagine a classic successfully.  That’s what ILLENIUM, Excision, Wooli, and Valerie Broussard do on “Zombie”, 30 years after its arrival.