Sematary 368

Zane Steckler, professionally known as Sematary, is an experimental rapper and producer hailing from Northern California and known best for his slurred vocal style and production versatility. He self-produces his music independently, without a record label or a deal other than his own, the Haunted Mound.

His production has a classic trap percussion style that creates a stark sonic contrast between an varied choice of samples and mixing, resulting in a unique sound apart from the mainstream. He started his career collaborating with Ghost Mountain on the Grave House mixtape, which debuted the lo-fi horrorcore vibe of his early persona.

He continued to elevate and darken this persona as he went through different black metal samples on the Rainbow Bridge trilogy, until eventually transitioning towards a Witchhouse drill sound by the Screaming Forest mixtape.

Sematary’s genres range from witchhouse, black metal trap, emo rap, and Chicago drill. He has previously stated that he is inspired by rappers like Chief Keef, Yung Lean (2014-2016 era) and Sickboyrari. He also finds a heavy witch-house inspiration from SALEM and frequently samples black metal artists that he has a personal affinity for.

Sematary’s themes and aesthetics are dark, violent, and disturbing, with lyrics about taking teeth, burning down houses, and near-constant references to boxcutters. He’s also taken a “violently alt-left” stance, with constant mentions of his hatred of cops and the government, seen most obviously in songs like “1312” and “We Don’t Dial 911.”

In 2019, Sematary started the collective Haunted Mound, which now houses various members ranging from producers to visual artists.