Cybergrind. It’s a genre that is more than just a cavalcade of chaos, noise, and insanity – it’s an underground movement that has been steadily making the rounds in the early 2020s. Whether it’s the sold-out Subterranean show last summer or labels like Prosthetic Records putting their faith in this perplexing, provoking style of music with signs like Blind Equation and Thotcrime, cybergrind is becoming undeniable.
One such group is ZOMBIESHARK!, the cybergrind outfit that has been taped by Hate5Six and shared by Anthony Fantano. Corey Swope, whose art graces merch from bands like Sanguisugabogg and Elysia, has been plugging away at the project for years with stellar releases like I Will Destroy You, Myself, and Everything I’ve Ever Loved. and BORN FROM A WISH. So, can Die Laughing maintain the momentum for ZOMBIESHARK!?
Music’s great for a lot of things – singing along, focusing on something else with it in the background, etc. But ZOMBIESHARK!’s cybergrind approach is a digital raid of hyperproduction and corruption. The minute-long climax build of “The Fool” positively erupts into a loud “DIE!” the instant “Party All The Time” begins. It’s then evident to the listener that cybergrind means time signatures are a joke, and desperate screams overlap what feels like a visceral panic attack. What I love about ZOMBIESHARK’s take on Die Laughing is that there are interspersed moments of bliss to break from the disorder where Corey gives the shouts a rest and sings. With intense moments from the get-go featuring double bass faster than my mind can comprehend, it’s a strong a start as any.
Something noteworthy about Die Laughing? The average song length is 1:53. These short bursts are meticulously crafted to throw the listener for a loop and keep them immersed, and it just works. Each following track feels as demented and disturbed as the last, but ZOMBIESHARK! ensures that there’s discernible ebbs and flows across the whopping 16 songs. Even at that quantity, Die Laughing doesn’t feel bloated due to the brief runtime. Most of the risks end up paying off and I can’t imagine interest will be lost as the record hits its back half. It’s refreshing to see an artist get all of their ideas out and not have to scrap anything they aren’t 100% set on.
The last 20 seconds of “Loxosceles On The Isosceles” have been stuck in my head for longer than I’d like to admit; it’s a devastating, bleak onslaught that eases into dreamscape interlude “Mosquito In The Embroidery Room”. The breakdown in “Procedurally Generated Bear Traps” is a vitriolic incursion that just may be the best heavy moment on the record, whereas the vulnerable singing in single “Put Your Glasses On, Nothing Can Be Wrong” is a night-and-day difference in a really beautiful moment amidst the ruckus. A Fire-Toolz feature in “Online Garden of Eden” made my hair stand on end with harrowing vocal delivery – another opportunity to feel cybergrind’s avant garde stylings.
What ZOMBIESHARK! accomplishes on Die Laughing is to capture so many negative feelings and emotions and present them succinctly across defeated lyricism, shrill vocals, layers of production, and mood-changing melodies. It’s not designed for easy listening – if anything, it’s the opposite, meant for cathartic emotional release. Delving into cybergrind won’t appeal to the masses, but those eager for something different, something catastrophic, will find a lot to love in Die Laughing.
