REVIEW: Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Act Like You Don't Know [2023]

Artist: Thus Spoke ZarathustraAlbum: Act Like You Don’t KnowI’m going to make a potentially unpopular statement—over the last decade-or-so, I don’t think deathcore was ever really dead. Sure, you had to look a little harder to find it, and sure, many of the active deathcore bands had to find new, different ways to help diversify their sound—but to say the genre died seems an oversight. Regardless of this, there’s no denying that the last 12-to-24 months have been a veritable renaissance for the genre, sparked not only by continued innovation in the genre’s more progressive corners but—and more relevantly—a resurgence of the genre’s more traditional elements and stylings. For the first time in the genre’s comparatively brief lifespan, we’re witnessing a real second wave. And it’s sick. With many excellent offerings so far in the form of Psycho-Frame, Tactosa, Mantikore, Tracheotomy and more, the eastern US has given us one more to consider: Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Sounding like something straight out of a 2009 deathcore sampler, the band’s debut full length Act Like You Don't Know is a crushing, catchy hodgepodge of dancey two-steps, spin kick inducing breakdowns and metallic—occasionally melodic—riffs that takes the listener on a comprehensive tour of pre-2010 heavy music stylings in under twenty minutes.There’s something for everyone on Act Like You Don’t Know—especially if you’re feeling a little nostalgic. From the noisy, chaotic riffs and splashy percussion abundant on album opener and lead single “Artery Records Could NEVER” to the blatant (and welcome) 2007-2009 Emmure worship on “Allison Morkin,” Thus Spoke Zarathustra capture just about everything about what it meant to be deathcore prior to the turn of the (last) decade. The band’s drumming is bouncy and energetic, driving home breakdowns like the one that introduces and concludes “The Gage Lanza Tapdance Extravaganza,” while allowing more metallic and melodic fretwork soar throughout “Allison Morkin” and “Aspongob.” Likewise, as varied as the band’s percussion is, their fretwork is even more so. Haunting throwbacks to deathcore titans Thy Art is Murder’s early catalogue on “I Have a Theory” and huge, anthemic riffs a la As Blood Runs Black on “Babytron Deception” are but some of the finer moments brought to you by Thus Spoke Zarathustra’s comprehensive onslaught of furious fretwork—but in reality, every track on the band’s brief LP brings some stunning moments of instrumental diversity that stand strongly even regardless of the whimsical, rose-tinted aura of nostalgia that comes along with them. This is amplified when one considers that just about every cut from Act Like You Don’t Know is sub-three minutes, which makes them hit that much more intensely. Every song is like microdosing YouTube breakdown and two-step compilations from eons past while still managing to feel cohesive and impactful, rather than a shill project leaning its entire weight on nostalgia.Thus Spoke Zarathustra don’t do much actual speaking on Act Like You Don’t Know, but there is plenty of diversity and intensity with their screaming to keep the listener enticed. In keeping with the band’s sprawling instrumental variety, the band’s vocal element is able to work with any music canvas it’s given. This is evident especially on “Allison Morkin,” where the song’s climactic ending channels a mixture of Goodbye to the Gallows and The Respect Issue-era Emmure to bring an impactful, remarkable and melodic end to an otherwise barn-burning display of primal vocal fury. Similarly, “I Have a Theory” channels early deathcore’s more technical side and showcases it alongside a feature from Floridian traditional deathcore project Tracheotomy—a truly edenic pairing. Thus Spoke Zarathustra are diverse, but tactful in their vocal dynamism, picking styles to complement their lyrics, but also the music written as its backdrop.It’s a little easy to throw Thus Spoke Zarathustra into the pile of emerging heavy acts that are essentially sonic heroin—good for an initial fix of throwing it back to the days of deathcore’s youth but, beyond that, lacking any true impact. I would encourage the listener against that. While the band makes no effort to hide the homage they pay to many of the genre’s forerunners, they do so in a way that still gives their own music legs enough to stand on its own. With some songs feeling groovy, bouncy and catchy while others are outright lessons in aggression and relentless, primal fervor, there’s plenty to love about Act Like You Don’t Know, even if you aren’t in it for the throwbacks. What stands to be seen is where Thus Spoke Zarathustra will end up as they continue to craft and build a more unique and distinct sound—however, if their early works are any indication, they’re sure to be at the earliest point of a meteoric rise to notoriety.8.5/10For Fans Of: Elysia, Thy Art is Murder, Emmure, Tactosa, TracheotomyBy: Connor Welsh