Washington D.C.’s avant-garde provocateur Zero Swann, led by Jeremy Moore, has released a stark, unsettling video for ‘The Prismal Seed’, the lead single from their forthcoming album Benefactor, out October 17th via Saccharine Underground. The video, a grim tapestry of rapid-fire imagery, grainy textures, and confronting visuals, marks a bold return after a two-year hiatus, revisiting Moore’s explorations of experimental music via the Zero Swann moniker.
The video, with its unsettling blend of bloody wounds, suicide imagery, and occult references, mirrors the album’s raw, chaotic energy, offering a disturbing glimpse into Moore’s gothic-psychedelic world. ‘The Prismal Seed’ video is a frenetic assault of visuals: quick-cut grainy footage, stark mental asylum aesthetics, and slasher-film-inspired horror set against the track’s abrasive fusion of noise rock, shoegaze, and free jazz. Moore, who handles guitars, fretless bass, drums, and noise elements, describes the video as an extension of the album’s unfiltered ethos. “The visuals are a direct translation of the music’s raw emotion,” Moore says. “It’s meant to discomfort, to pull you into a space where beauty and horror coexist.” The video was directed by Moore, with collaborative artwork by Gio Del Morino, echoing the album’s stark, original cover design. Benefactor was produced and engineered by Moore, with additional engineering by Andy Baldwin at Metropolis Studios.
Zero Swann emerged from Washington D.C.’s underground scene, with Moore, also known for his work with Zabus, Bell Barrow, and Gorazde, curating the Saccharine Underground label. The project has long been a vehicle for Moore’s forward-facing improvisational style, blending influences from Ritual Tension’s no wave snarl to My Bloody Valentine’s shoegaze haze. Their 2023 release Amon Zonaris, a collaboration with doom legend Scott “Wino” Weinrich, marked a high point, showcasing Moore’s ability to merge visceral sound with evocative visuals. Benefactor builds on this, with eight tracks that weave noise rock, doom, and free jazz into a lo-fi gothic tapestry. Moore’s baritone voice anchors the chaos, lending a haunting clarity to lyrics exploring dream states, spiritual vulnerability, and the battle against inner and outer darkness.
Moore’s vision for Benefactor and its lead video is deeply personal. “I wanted every frame of ‘The Prismal Seed’ to feel like a raw nerve,” he explains. “It’s not about shock for shock’s sake—it’s about capturing the tension of existing in a world where the unseen can overwhelm you.” Gio Del Morino, who co-designed the album’s artwork, adds, “Working with Jeremy is like stepping into a fever dream. His visuals and music don’t just complement each other—they’re inseparable.”
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