ALBUM REVIEW: I’m Done With Self Care, It’s Time for Others Harm – Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Whether you loved it, hated it or weren’t even a twinkle in your parents eye when it was in full swing, there’s no denying that MySpace was a fertile and incredibly important breeding ground for alternative music. Sure, it shat out some musical war crimes like BROKENCYDE but it also gave us bands who would go onto be incredibly important in the then emerging and developing deathcore genre, like JOB FOR A COWBOY and WHITECHAPEL. On a sonic level, the term MySpace deathcore holds some weight, referring to a stripped back, rawer and more ramshackle style of the genre. No delusions of grandeur or shoehorned in symphonic elements here, just ridiculous riffs and skull denting blastbeats on the table for THUS SPOKE ZARATHUSTRA.

The Maryland project, originally conceived by founding member and primary songwriter Andy Reynold have brought the sound of the mid to late noughties (think OCEANO and AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK, whilst blending JOB FOR A COWBOY‘s Doom and Genesis releases together) kicking and screaming into the 2020s over a smattering of EPs and one album. Possessing a sense of self awareness, it gave their music a knowing slant, while still introducing modern audiences to the sound of chaotic squeals and frantic riffs that spilled out of many an embedded player around two decades ago. This new effort, I’m Done With Self Care, It’s Time For Others Harm revels in its sarcastic existence, often harking back to days of sheer belligerent chaos and dumb song titles. THUS SPOKE ZARATHUSTRA take the music very seriously though, with a level of talent and refinement on display that may surprise casual deathcore fans.

Musically, things can often get a little baffling and the guitars in particular have the ability to send your eyes to different hemispheres. The three axe assault is balanced in a weird way, adding a sizeable layer of chug and heft to wild fretwork and when they all coalesce, it has the potential to make you wince, which is a testament to the work the band themselves, with final mixing being done by Mychal Soto of the disgustingly brilliant PEELING FLESH, in the production.

This matches perfectly with the album’s lyrical themes, which involves the tale of a man called Henry Ford and his descent into madness and Satanism. Now as is par for the course, the words that are vomited out of Andy Reynold’s mouth may sometimes be a little hard to discern at times, but the venom and menacing cadence helps to make the cacophony that bit more menacing, particularly on one of the highlights, I Never Believed In Magic Til My Dog Turned Into A Snake. Switching between finger-dislocating air guitar moments to times where it feels like an unknown force is guiding your boot into a stranger’s face, it’s an incredibly satisfying blend of styles.

Santosha adds an almost hypnotic riff to the mix and brings to mind THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE and THE ACACIA STRAIN with its almost elevation of the caveman deathcore formula. There’s very little, if anything in the way if aural respite but this record is aimed at those who desire no quarter, no moment of levity. Things take an almost black metal twist on closer Bereft Of Light before it opens on a mighty bellow of “it was known that I’d hunt you fucking down,” ushering in a sickeningly joyous track that ends the record on a stunning high, instantly becoming one of the best deathcore tracks of the last few years.

It could be argued deathcore doesn’t need to evolve; its forays into grander territories often lead to more missteps than leaps forward and while bands do have to be commended for wanting to elevate the genre, it feels at its most satisfying when wrapped in a veneer of barely contained violence and riffs that give you the same feeling as walking home at night with your keys between your fingers. At times atonal, it succeeds in inviting the listener into its twisted, bludgeoning world and for that it should be commended.

Rating: 8/10

I’m Done With Self Care, It’s Time For Others Harm is out May 23rd via Prosthetic Records.

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