Thus Spoke Zarathustra – I’m Done With Self Care, It’s Time For Others’ Harm
Release Date: 23rd May 2025
Label: Prosthetic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Deathcore
FFO: As Blood Runs Black, Elysia, Rose Funeral.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
Maryland natives Thus Spoke Zarathustra are relative newcomers to the deathcore scene, but they’re creating a commotion that can’t be ignored. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the band’s second album, I’m Done With Self-Care, It’s Time For Others’ Harm, which releases Friday, May 23 via Prosthetic Records.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra is influenced by Myspace-era deathcore, with plenty of the blastbeats and breakdowns that have long dominated the genre. Yet, the album attempts to reach back to the past to speak to the aspects that made deathcore new and exciting. A fresh take on the genre is always welcome, but is it enough to set them apart from the usual fare?
The album opens with GGO, which is relatively short and absolutely to the point. The ambient sounds in the intro are like something out of Alien, and you’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop. When the instruments come in at around 45 seconds, it’s almost a relief, and the tension they create with just the intro is impressive. The melody line over the diabolical rhythms clearly recall the early-mid 2000s of the genre — as the press releases indicate — so this is a good sign of what’s to come.
I Can’t Save You features Matt McDougall of Boundaries, who is always a pleasure to listen to. His intensity adds another layer of brutality to an already vicious beatdown. The melodic leads and energetic rhythm immediately took me back to somewhere around 2006 when As Blood Runs Black dropped Allegiance on an unsuspecting populace. Thus Spoke Zarathustra channels that old school sound beautifully here, and the breakdown elements feel organic instead of forced, as they so often do these days.
I suppose one could say Gage Lanza 2: Return of the Red Hammer is a sequel to a track from their previous album. The fast-paced melodies take off immediately, expertly weaving in and out of the verse. Something about it put me in mind of Rose Funeral, and you’ll hear no complaints from me. The breakdown seems more riff-led than percussive, and the lead-up is seamless. The vocals are fairly standard for the genre, with the familiar toilet bowl gutturals interspersed with enraged yelling, but they’re nicely done and fit well in the context of the track.
I Never Believed in Magic Till My Dog Turned Into a Snake is a brilliant title for this chaotic track. It features Nick Chance, formerly of Distinguisher, whose vocals are effortlessly integrated into this bizarre narrative. The breakdown is a couple of quick punches in the teeth before the pummeling wall of rhythm takes the reins. The moving leads keep your ears from becoming fatigued and ensure the track doesn’t get bogged down. The composition feels slightly less cohesive than the previous tracks, but the tone of these twisty melodies is just so good, I can forgive it.
The Final Blow Will Bring Blood starts off fast and furious before slamming on the brakes for the weighty verse and the even more massive breakdown. The layering of the guitars is particularly skillful in this track, and the composition is incredibly dynamic. As we continue to see throughout this album, the melodies of the guitars add a lightness and musicality that is often missing in modern deathcore. This juxtaposes perfectly with the rapid-fire rhythms and the aggressive vocals. It feels fresh, even though it’s a nod to the earlier days of the genre.
Santosha features the renowned Cameron Argon of Disfiguring the Goddess, who is also known by his stage name Big Chocolate. This track is quick and lively, and the majority of the song feels much more akin to early metalcore than anything deathcore has ever produced. The dynamic leads are a perfect match for the galloping rhythm. The first thing I thought was Unearth, which is by no means a criticism. When they repeatedly drop the pace and the guitars begin to grind to a halt, Argon’s vocals add a level of brutality that matches that energy. This track is absolutely a high point of the album.
In All I Feel Is Cold, the melodeath influences in the guitar work are very clearly at the forefront. It has a very 90s In Flames sort of vibe mixed with late 2000s core influences like August Burns Red. The leads are nimble and animated, and the brisk rhythm nicely complements the melodic lines. I can find no fault in the instrumentation. Their unique blend of the various influences is impeccable. The only thing throwing it off is the slammy gutturals, which feel out of place here.
I think most of us feel that opening “What the fuck?!??!” in The Difference Between You and Me Is I Never Got Caught. This track is very dynamic, with lightning-fast drumming and almost peppy guitars. This keeps things moving at a fast clip until around the 22-second mark, but the verses are much slower. The track briefly picks up the pace again at around 1:15 before the hefty, chugging riffs take over the rest of the track.
Mithrandir starts out slower and chunkier than most of the tracks on the album. It begins and ends like a deathcore song, but there are more energetic sections with melodic guitar work and more dynamic rhythms in the middle. It gradually transitions back to the chunky riffs from the beginning, with increasingly slower breakdown elements that drag out the ending.
The final track, Bereft of Light, kicks in the door with tons of blast beats before the chugging riffs steer the verses. There are some dramatic progressions in the guitar work in this track, giving it a bit of a blackened air that is the highlight of the composition. The pacing is more mid-tempo, which generally keeps the focus on the melodic lines, although the blast beats were a bit distracting at times. The demonic sounding vocals on “Fuck your world…” are suitably menacing, and the abrupt ending is just right for the narrative themes.
Overall, this is a solid sophomore album. If I didn’t know it was supposed to be considered deathcore, I’d be tempted to call it metalcore. Not that there aren’t plenty of deathcore elements here, but once everything melds together, it’s hard to pin down. However, some of the earlier bands in the MySpace deathcore era were hard to pin down, too. Bands like As Blood Runs Black, Rose Funeral, Elysia, Through the Eyes of the Dead, etc. are frequently labeled as other than deathcore, and there’s a clear difference between them and early Suicide Silence and Whitechapel.
All of that being said, I liked it. Thus Spoke Zarathustra is not much like modern deathcore, but that’s what I particularly liked. Are they still evolving, well, yes, of course they are. It’s only their second album. However, I’m thrilled that they made me think of As Blood Runs Black. They wanted to recall the earliest days of the genre, and that’s what they did. And I hope they do it again. With three guitars, a bouncy rhythm, and melodeath-inspired leadwork, the compositions on this album have a compelling dynamic. There is so much movement in those guitar lines, and the tone is spot on. If you like core bands, but you’re looking for something a little different, check out I’m Done With Self-Care, It’s Time For Others’ Harm on Friday, May 23rd.
(3.5 / 5)
