One year after V0CALYST's debut album, ZOMᗺIƎᗺOY, the era is coming to a close. Its deluxe edition, ZOMBIEBOY: beschämt, arrives on Halloween, exactly one year after the original. Executive produced once again by shinrei and lunamaryllis, the deluxe expands and completes the story V0CALYST began telling in 2025.
That story follows a character with no set order of events: he meets a succubus who tricks him into falling in love before ripping his heart out, turning him into a zombie. From there, he restarts the cycle of lust and consumption with different people in his life, until he eventually dies from sadness, ending the character for good.
Ahead of the release, collective owner Jori sat down with V0CALYST to talk about the past year, the story behind beschämt, and what comes after the ZOMBIEBOY era.
Jori: It's been over nine months since your first interview. How have you been feeling since? So much has happened.
V0CALYST: I don't think a lot has changed since the last time I was interviewed, besides understanding how to make music more productively.
Jori: Well, your 17 EP, 7 deadly sins, and SuperBlue all dropped, and now you're moving forward with the deluxe for your debut album, ZOMᗺIƎᗺOY. What made you understand making music more this year?
V0CALYST: The easiest way to explain it is simply living, and having my music speak for me and my life.
Jori: I can tell, especially with your standout track "sloth" from 7 deadly sins, which explores your paralyzing struggle with drug abuse and heartbreak. How often do your feelings come through in recording sessions?
V0CALYST: To be fair, it really depends on the type of beat I'm rapping on, or the way I'm feeling at the time. But I really enjoy getting my feelings out into music.
Jori: How was your summer? You had a pretty big release gap between 7 deadly sins and SuperBlue. What made you pause your cycle?
V0CALYST: Honestly, I got caught up in excessive drug use and relationship problems with people, so I wasn't the most focused on music until I really felt better about my mental state.
Jori: I'm glad you're feeling a lot better, and it was especially refreshing to hear SuperBlue after plenty of deep releases. Now, how much will your music speak for you on your ZOMᗺIƎᗺOY deluxe, ZOMBIEBOY: beschämt? What's the story behind it, and how much will it perfect and amplify the original?
V0CALYST: My music on ZOMBIEBOY: beschämt will definitely define what I've wanted my music to be for a long time.
The story behind ZOMBIEBOY isn't really set in an order, but I meet a succubus that tricks me into falling in love with her, then rips my heart out, turning me into a zombie. After that, I basically restart the cycle of lust and consumption of bodies with different people in my life, eventually dying from sadness and ending the character as a whole.
Jori: How are you going to feel after finally closing out this era? It's been over a year since you began working on the original idea of ZOMBIEBOY. The era started when you dropped the single "believe the kids" on August 1, 2025, and now it's finally coming to an end. How much has it given you? And where do you think you'll go after beschämt's rollout is complete?
V0CALYST: Ending the ZOMBIEBOY era has been long awaited, but it's not something I've necessarily wanted to do, since I love making music like that so much. After making "believe the kids," I was introduced to more diverse vocal performances, as well as making the album. After the ZOMBIEBOY era is truly complete, I have a project or two I've been waiting to start, but I'm not sure if that'll happen anytime soon.
ZOMBIEBOY: beschämt releases October 31, 2026. Revisit V0CALYST's first interview and the original ZOMᗺIƎᗺOY.
Tune into our early listening party right in our Discord.