Sematary

Biography

Zane Brian Steckler (born December 22, 2000), known professionally as Sematary, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He began releasing music and co-founded the Haunted Mound rap collective in 2019. Sematary has released nine mixtapes and three EPs. His distorted and overblown production style, which is influenced by witch house, black metal, and the deep-fried aesthetic have garnered him a cult following online.

Early life

Zane Brian Steckler was born in Northern California on December 22, 2000. He was raised in Granite Bay, an outer suburb of Sacramento, and has described his hometown as "redneck-y". His mother is a painter and his father is a record producer who worked on various film scores, including writing a song for the soundtrack to the 1998 film Pokémon: The First Movie while working as a jingle writer. Steckler's upbringing, according to him, was "normal", and he has expressed that he hated school. He first began experimenting with music at the age of 11 through the use of GarageBand and Logic Pro.

Career

Steckler began releasing music as Sematary in 2019, releasing his first song Mordor on March 22nd of that year. Following his graduation from high school, he would go on to release his collaborative debut mixtape, Grave House×Grave House16 August 2019 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1FURY ROAD4:092NEVADA3:583INTERSTATE4:174NEW ROCKS5:165GOAT MAN3:256ORBS4:347SKIN MASK4:198DEAD BY DAWN5:329FURY ROAD 25:4210READY FOR THE HOUSE6:0911STAND YOUR GROUND3:4212BROKEN ANGEL HOSPITAL6:30, with fellow rapper and childhood friend Ghost Mountain in August of that year. Sematary then released his solo debut mixtape, Rainbow Bridge×Rainbow Bridge8 November 2019 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1SLAUGHTER HOUSE3:212REVERENCE3:443BUNNY SUIT3:014PAIN3:125TOOLBOX4:496DENTAL FLOSS2:577CREATINE3:058ARSON3:389IM RELOADING2:3610SHOTGUN3:5211CEMETERY2:0812THE GREAT MOTHMAN3:04, in November 2019. In 2019, Sematary and Ghost Mountain would also form the underground hip hop collective and record label, Haunted Mound, later adding more members such as Hackle, Anvil and the Irish producer–rapper duo Oscar18 and Buckshot, having met them through social media. In March 2020, he released the mixtape Rainbow Bridge 2×Rainbow Bridge 220 March 2020 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Forever Intro2:432My Cutter4:003Funeral2:564Skellingtons3:405Red Mist2:576Hearsin'3:237Chandelier4:008Toothtaker3:349Duster Huffer2:2810Skinwalker4:3811Hogs3:4012We Don't Dial 9113:3313Scissor Hands3:0114Desecration4:20 in continuation of his previous album. He also released a follow-up mixtape to Grave House with Ghost Mountain, Hundred Acre Wrist×HUNDRED ACRE WRIST18 April 2025 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Heffalumps3:322Louisville Slugger3:353Tourniquet3:194Deer God3:515Taxidermy3:476Sigil3:107Johnny Cutter3:578Goodbye Horses3:289Nazgul4:0410Cleaver Valley4:22, in July 2020. His mixtape Rainbow Bridge 3×Rainbow Bridge 330 April 2021 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1God's Light Burns Upon My Flesh3:212Murder Ride4:003Chainsaw Party2:274I'm a Sinner3:265Skin Mask 22:446Necromanser3:427Forest Fire3:308Creepin' Thru Da Woods3:249Toothtaker3:3110Come With Me to Hell2:5111Goin' Mordum3:3612Witching Hour2:5913Skincarver3:2814Meet By the River3:2715Truey Jeans3:0216Crucifixion3:43 was released in April 2021, completing the Rainbow Bridge trilogy. It was listed as one of the best hip hop albums of that year by SLUG. In October of the same year, he released the mixtape Screaming Forest×Screaming Forest21 October 2021 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1I Hail the Night2:512Rituals3:183Willows2:384Redwoods3:175Kamakrazee2:576Longhorns2:347Hocky Mask2:408Scarecraw3:329Spirits3:2410Moon Shine2:56, which would begin a new era for Sematary and the rest of Haunted Mound as a whole.
Sematary released the mixtape Butcher House×Butcher House13 January 2023 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Haunted Mound Reapers3:472Babayaga2:453In Tha Field Where I Found U1:564Suffer3:515Hallowed Be My Wrist3:336Hate And Gasoline2:517Smokin Out Da Grave2:498We Don't Dial 9112:469Angelmakers3:2410Burn A Cop Car2:0411Go Dig My Grave2:4212Little Lamb2:29 in January 2023, with a tour of the same name taking place following its release. Paste praised Butcher House as "easily the hardest-hitting rap record of the year right now", while Revolver's Eli Enis called it "beautifully belligerent". In September, Sematary released the EP King of the Graveyard×King of the Graveyard29 September 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1King of the Graveyard2:5623AM Gang3:373House of the Dead3:284Cutter in the Club2:305I Don’t Care About Sleep Anymore3:06. He also appeared as a guest on Suicideboys' Grey Day Tour in the fall of 2023.
His collaborative single "Fuck the World" with Chief Keef and fellow Haunted Mound member Hackle was released in January 2024. Later that month, Sematary released "Wendigo×Wendigo19 January 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Wendigo3:28", a post-punk song, as a single for his album Bloody Angel×BLOODY ANGEL29 March 2024 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1BLOODY ANGEL2HEADLIGHTS3WENDIGO4SMOKE MACHINE5MORDOR6PARKING LOT SCARECROW7HOCKEY MASK 28SACRIFYCE9BURYD MY HEART (INTERLUDE)10BENADRYL ANGYL11HEARSE TRUCKS12BARROW WIGHTS13BLACK WINGS MY TEAM14DEMON IN PAIN15DEAD TREES16GET MONEY N DIE, which was released in March 2024. His second headlining tour began one month later. In January 2025, Sematary released the single "Still Da Same" in collaboration with the rapper Xaviersobased. His single "Heart So Pure×Heart So Pure14 February 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Heart So Pure3:20" was released the following month with the B-side "Oxycodone×Oxycodone14 February 2025 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Oxycodone3:01". Sematary executive produced Ghost Mountain's debut mixtape October Country, which was released in March 2025 and featured Sematary on the tracks "Highway Hex" and "Damien". His mixtape Haunt-O-Holixxx was released on Halloween in 2025.

Artistry

Sematary was inspired by witch house band Salem and rappers Chief Keef, Black Kray, and Yung Lean to start rapping, with Yung Lean motivating him to pursue a career in music after he saw him perform at the Warlord American tour. Sematary's music is described as horrorcore with production largely inspired by witch house and samples depressive black metal tracks into the production, which is especially prevalent in the Rainbow Bridge series. His music is also heavily influenced from trap, cloud rap, and the Chicago drill sound. His vocals are typically layered and distorted with Auto-Tune and his instrumentals are often lo-fi. For Stereogum, John Norris called Sematary's vocals "snarling" and "slurry" and described his lyrics as nihilistic. Stereogum's Tom Breihan described his "sing-chant[ing]" as "baritone evilness" altered by "all kinds of disorienting digital-distortion techniques". Paste wrote that his music was "loud" and "abrasive" with "a ton of distortion" and lyrics that "vary from creepy to ridiculous". Paper's Ivan Guzman called his and Haunted Mound's lyrics "slasher film-esque" and their production style "blaring" and "blown-out". His sound was called "distinctly post-internet" and a "[fusion] of psychedelic SoundCloud-era rap à la Bladee and Yung Lean with menacing horrorcore drums and spooky witch house synths" by Eli Enis of Revolver.
As of 2024, Sematary had recorded a majority of his music in the "Butcher House×Butcher House13 January 2023 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Haunted Mound Reapers3:472Babayaga2:453In Tha Field Where I Found U1:564Suffer3:515Hallowed Be My Wrist3:336Hate And Gasoline2:517Smokin Out Da Grave2:498We Don't Dial 9112:469Angelmakers3:2410Burn A Cop Car2:0411Go Dig My Grave2:4212Little Lamb2:29", an abandoned slaughterhouse built in 1905. Günseli Yalcinkaya of Dazed compared his music videos to B horror movies. His online aesthetic has been described as deep-fried and defined by its horror influences, including his often holding a chainsaw; he has compared it to that of Chief Keef. Sematary helps design Haunted Mound's merchandise—which, as of 2024, make up most of the collective's revenue—and its mascot, a screaming tree named Harold. He has stated that his marketing of the group is inspired by that of other underground hip hop groups, such as Sad Boys and Goth Money. He has been vocal against the presence of the alt-right in underground hip hop.