Album review: Thus Spoke Zarathustra – I’m Done With Self Care, It’s Time For Others’ Harm

If nihilism is hardly rare in the annals of deathcore, it’s nevertheless unusual to encounter a band backing up their sentiments by naming themselves after a work of philosophical fiction. But Thus Spoke Zarathustra are such an outfit, their interest in German writer Friedrich Nietzsche no barrier to a parallel devotion to belligerence and breakdowns. So while this second full-length is something of a concept album exploring an individual’s descent into existential turmoil, its lyrics largely avoid poetry in favour of brutally expressed violence.

Certainly, fans of first-wave deathcore will find themselves adequately served by these Maryland maulers. Their default setting is a wall of chug, driven by actively hostile blastbeats, while founder Andy Reynolds’ vocals are unremittingly aggro and not averse to all-out grunting. But while TSZ are steeped in the deliberately ignorant sonic assault of forefathers like Suicide Silence or Emmure, their triple-guitar line-up allows for other influences to come into play.

Notably, I Can’t Save You and All I Feel Is Cold weave in sufficiently tuneful lead lines to demonstrate a love of the originators of melodic death metal. The spiralling six-string rhapsodies of Gage Lanza 2: Return Of The Red Hammer offer perhaps the clearest nod in that direction, the track’s opening ‘Go!’ surely a nod to Swedeath frontrunners At The Gates. Meanwhile, closer Bereft Of Light moves things further into the dark abyss with tremelo picking and a thrillingly blackened tone.

In a speedy half-hour, I’m Done With Self Care… makes the case for TSZ as ones to watch. Their more intelligent side is inevitably punched to the floor by outright thuggery, but this album’s openness to stylistic diversion elevates their deathcore beyond its proudly-stated roots.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, Fit For An Autopsy

I’m Done With Self Care, It’s Time For Others’ Harm is released on May 23 via Prosthetic