A style of music that’s very near and dear to me is Nintendocore. This unabashed, chaotic take on metal includes heavy use of midi, synth, and other electronic effects to feel like your favorite game console is moshing with you. I have fond memories of listening to Iamerror, Monomate, and Insert Disc, but haven’t kept up with the genre since about 2014. Today, that changes with ZOMBIESHARK!’s wild new album I Will Destroy You, Myself, And Everything I’ve Ever Loved.
After the ethereal “Son of the Morning” beautifully kicks off this LP, “Computer Kidz Unite” viciously, relentlessly attacks the listener with a modicum of grind and thrash. The aptly-autotuned clean vocals juxtapose the intimidating uncleans. The name of the game with ZOMBIESHARK! is layers – there’s so much going on at once in the former half of the song that the latter sounds succinct and focused. Luckily, the song as a cohesive unit works well in its 2-minute runtime, a trend for bands of this nature.
“Keyboards for Insects” amps up the synth with a pulverizing trance beat that features Viscera in the mix for a VERY interesting closing 30 seconds. Its strange time signature creates a factor of unpredictability, as this eases the listener into the shorter runtime once again. The frenzy continues in “Synthetic City,” with plenty of blast beats and breakdown riffs. The chiptune is more prominent in this piece to lean into the Nintendo side of the core.
Brutality ensues in “Red Pyramids Kill Eachother,” a mish-mash of grindcore and post-hardcore (with a dash of electronica) proving ZOMBIESHARK! has range. The band can flip a switch and embrace a different style without any struggle. “Whispers From Nextalist” is a pretty interlude into the brief “100likes” that features Blind Equation to make for a short but sweet romp.
“Puzzle Room” is yet another example of the gorgeous production that ZOMBIESHARK! has exuded, with a strong interlude into “The Cost of Cloud Failure” which backs the uncleans with more tantalizing trance and pounding guitars. Single “H3LLW0RLD_” is a long(?) track at 2:41. Still, the unconventional song structure makes it an entertaining listen, with several manic progressions and frenetic riffage.
“Mirror Maze” sits on the side of mystique, with a more calmed approach before the album’s climax. “The Way the World Looked at Me” wraps things up with a bang, as this melodic finale reaches the apex of emotion that ZOMBIESHARK! has on display. I Will Destroy You, Myself, And Everything I’ve Ever Loved is not going to be for everyone, but it was a thoroughly-entertaining Nintendocore/Cyberdeath foray for me. If you’re looking for devastation, insanity, and depravity, look no further than ZOMBIESHARK!.
Rating: 8.5/10
A press copy of I Will Destroy You, Myself, And Everything I’ve Ever Loved was provided courtesy of ZOMBIESHARK!.
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