Zheani- 'LONG LIVE THE OLD DEAD GODS' ALBUM REVIEW

Zheani’s newest album, LONG LIVE THE OLD DEAD GODS, is a testament to chaos, creation, divinity and femininity. Divulging into themes of life, death, love and rebirth, Zheani presents these ideas in a way that is uncliched and fully authentic.

Released at the end of November, and coinciding with the birth of her first baby, LONG LIVE THE OLD DEAD GODS is Zheani’s first album drop since 2022.

Combining elements of witch house, glitchy electronic, drum & bass, rap, dark ambient, metal and industrial, Zheani concocts a sound that defies genre.

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The album opens with ‘GIMME (DIE BY FIRE)’, an abrasive and passionate track that critiques the history of bloodshed and violence by mankind against women and the Earth. This track sets the sonic tone for the next few songs on the album through its anarchic energy. This momentum continues through the next songs in the tracklist, which build in intensity.

‘DRUNKEN GODS’ follows and is one of my top songs from this album. With beautifully abstract lyrics rife with religious imagery and a chorus over cold drum n bass vibrations that almost feels like a hymn. This track embraces its own chaos, making it as intoxicating to listen to as its subject matter.

"Suspended above it all, guided by will / Rush towards death, yeah, I know you will / Live fully with folly with chaos abound /Death she awaits."

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Over hardcore-inspired heavy guitar riffs and drums, ‘CHILD OF THE FUTURE’ takes the vulnerability and rawness of previous tracks like ‘NAKED’ and amplifies it with heavy instrumentals.

There is a tonal shift at this point in the album where it builds up to heavily electronic tracks, shifting the mood from the previous songs into something more entrancing and hypnotic.

Songs like 'SOMETHING I’M NOT', 'SEX NEVER DIES' and 'SPOILS OF WAR' (featuring Buttress) are especially captivating in this way, with heavy basslines and moments of unfiltered rage against the fractured electronic backgrounds.

‘LOBOTOMY’ is another one of my personal standout tracks from this album, with an infectious sound and biting lyrics that revolve around ideas of femininity and rebelling against societal expectations.

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LONG LIVE THE OLD DEAD GODS was an experiment in catharsis and purging, and I came out of listening to this album feeling in tune with something bigger than myself.

Each track was evocative and impactful in its own way, with each beat and rhythm throughout this album feeling intentional and almost tied to something ancient and intrinsically human.

Overall, I think that this album is Zheani’s magnum opus, and it is one of her most beautiful, powerful and prolific works yet.

Listen to LONG LIVE THE OLD DEAD GODS here and experience it for yourself.