“My hands shake as the needle breaks under my skin.”
One of the most profound genres in modern-day heavy music has to be cybergrind. It’s an inexplicably catchy blend of 8-bit synths, keytars, and heavy music, which, on paper, should not work. Defying the odds are acts like Blind Equation, Mikau, and ZOMBIESHARK!, who proudly wave the flag for the genre in the 21st century. They each bring their own unique spin to it and show that, despite the odds, there’s plenty of fantastic sounds and styles to be achieved in this space. Cybergrind has been creeping its way into the mainstream ever since the release of Swope’s last album, DIE LAUGHING, and it shows no signs of letting up, with Soulkeeper signing to Pure Noise, and Fromjoy supporting on some ridiculous tours. “ANGEL NOISES” may well topple ZOMBIESHARK! over that threshold, and see his work gain wider recognition for all it has achieved and inspired.
From the tortured mind of Cory Swope, ZOMBIESHARK! has always been at the forefront of the cybergrind genre. Whether through its extreme, harsh instrumental blends or later on its much more accessible and catchy nature, Swope has consistently been a flag-bearer for experimentation within the genre. The fact that DIE LAUGHING didn’t quite break him through to the mainstream is outright disappointing, but ANGEL NOISES, YOU’RE SAFE NOW may well finally see him achieve just that. The third full-length release under the ZOMBIESHARK! moniker, ANGEL NOISES is a summation of all that’s come before, and all that is to come from the project. It sees Swope drawing from past styles, as well as experimenting more than ever to achieve a body of work which is every bit as cohesive as it is mangled and chaotic.
Before diving into specifics, it’s crucial to understand the theme and approach taken this time around. Where in the past Swope has delivered narrative purely through lyricism, ANGEL NOISES sees this expanded upon, with each track representing its own fictional angel, tackling different themes and topics, and having its own characterisation. This album is a cathartic outlet for Swope, and whilst DIE LAUGHING was an outlet of pure anger and sadness, ANGEL NOISES sees Swope further exposing himself to us, letting us in to the deepest, darkest corners of his mind. So as not to spoil the album, this review won’t be covering the characterisation of every angel, but will be picking out some highlights to showcase its breadth.
“CAMAEL CAME BACK WRONG” is potentially the closest we get to a DIE LAUGHING track on this release, and will be an instant hit with existing fans. Lyrically brutal, “CAMAEL” is the angel of strength and war in Christian angelology. It’s only fitting then that the lyrics are a showcase of inner turmoil, hatred towards oneself, and others. Every bit as angry as it is dread-inducing, “CAMAEL” will strike a chord with the downtrodden and outcasts. It’s breakneck speed and barrage of drums and synths bring things in, forming into a wall of noise through which the only allowance is Swope’s mangled screams. This takes a sharp left turn around the midpoint of the track, though, with those signature cleans being introduced to us, shifting the emotion briefly to a much more sombre tone, before exploding back into the anger we started with. It’s a rollercoaster in its own right, and summarises the album’s theme perfectly.
“JOPHOEL AND THE TRAUMACORE EDIT ROOM” is one of the album’s more low-key moments, with the instrumental being a low-key drum & bass loop over which Swope’s cleans ebb and flow. “JOPHOEL (JOPHIEL)” is the angel of wisdom and illumination, fitting the atmosphere perfectly. This is an introspection to the highest degree, with Swope discussing his apparent lack of lustre and colour in comparison to a loved one. It’s a deeply haunting track, and Kel King of Fromjoy’s vocal feature only adds to this. His rough screams echo from over the atmospherics and work their way into your mind, playing over and over, sitting with you for a moment whilst you ponder upon what you’ve just heard. We’ve all had times when we’ve felt monochrome in a world of colour, and JOPHOEL encapsulates that perfectly.
AZREAL, the angel of death, sees Swope take things in a much more alt-rocky direction. This is perhaps the most mainstream-sounding track on the album, and with the lyrical content, it makes perfect sense. This track is a fourth-wall break in every sense of it. Swope directly addresses the concept of the album, explaining that there are only a few angels that he cannot see, and that he put them into the album so that they can remain close to him. It’s a cry for help in every sense and is utterly melancholic. Swope is struggling, and this is his outlet to get that across to us, the listener. Using imagery of trepanning to explain it, Swope explains how there’s a hole in his head through which the angels are flooding in to try and fill the gaps. It’s a visceral image, and one that can only be understood as pure mental torment and a depiction of mental health issues.
All in all, ANGEL NOISES is a journey through the psyche of a man who has and is continuing to experience immense mental torment. Using the metaphor of angels to demonstrate the many threads of his unravelling, Swope gives us more than a whistle-stop tour, allowing us to dwell on each and every facet of his being. Where DIE LAUGHING was a focused effort on a few particular aspects of Swope‘s mental wellbeing, ANGEL NOISES opens things up, leaving his mind bare for all to see. ANGEL NOISES manages to acheive all of this whilst also widening the project’s soundscape once more, dethroning DIE LAUGHING as ZOMBIESHARK!‘s most accessible release, all whilst retaining the abbrasive aspects of the genre which many have come to know and love. ANGEL NOISES is perhaps the closest we’ll ever come to a “perfect” example of what cybergrind is, and will quickly become a cult classic, inspiring many for years to come.
