ByoNoiseGenerator – Subnormal Dives [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

Me, falling in love with a jazzgrind record? Of all the things that surprised me this year, that takes the cake by a wide margin. Of course, it follows that the band responsible for this change of heart is no less than my (formerly) least favorite act in the turboniche subgenre, Russia’s ByoNoiseGenerator. With their third LP, Subnormal Dives, the wild and wonky quintet forge a triumph of weirdness, of brutality, and of bizarre stickiness the likes of which I could never have anticipated.

Sporting a new bassist, saxophonist, and guitarist after 2018’s Neuromechanica, ByoNoiseGenerator (affectionately nicknamed BYONG by our goofy little community of metal nerds) cherrypick only the ripest fruits of the tech, brutal death, grind, mathcore, and jazz trees. Once these are harvested and reduced together, a strange alchemy occurs. Every element bursts with vibrancy, coalesces in defiance of expectation or reason, and scintillates the senses with deceiving depth. Subnormal Dives, in particular, might be the smartest record in BYONG’s discography so far (and possibly of the year overall). It’s bizarre riffs elicit comparisons to everything ranging from Wormed to Wormhole,1 but its writing illustrates surreal worlds twisted up by the madness of Unfathomable Ruination, 7 H. Target, Cyborg Octopus, or Imperial Triumphant. But despite being built of seemingly incompatible building blocks, Subnormal Dives as a whole is far beyond the sum of its parts.

Subnormal Dives by BYONOISEGENERATOR

BYONG use every tool at their disposal with an unusual mastery, but it’s the way they break “the rules” entirely in their application that sets them apart. The moment opener “Eb (D#)” stops throwing a violent tantrum to enter a beautiful bass/saxophone-driven, atmospheric send-off, it’s clear as day that BYONG don’t give a hoot about convention. Bonkers tracks “IQ69Exaltations,” “NoSuccessToday!,” and “I’mNot20Anymore (21Ne)” combines the strange allure of instrumental and vocal acrobatics with no shortage of grinding guitar squeals, unhinged saxophone abuse, and reckless percussive explosions. Role reversal in tracks like “UBV-76,” “NULL.state = PERMANENT; return VOID;,” and “deBroglieNeverExisted,” sees the saxophone standing in for a part I’d normally expect from a lead guitar, barely kept in line by scalpel-precise bass plucks, subterranean guttural burps, and fanciful cymbal clinks.

BYONG’s senile songwriting would be tricky to appreciate were it not so unashamedly fun and brimming with colorful personality. Even on a cursory listen to tracks like “LoveChargedDiveBombs” or bonus track “5mgInspiredVibes,” I fall head over heels for BYONG’s exuberance and zest. These characteristics define every moment of Subnormal Dives, which not only helps make memories in each and every one of its ten tracks, but also creates a laminar sense of flow to the whole affair despite its twitchy movements.

There was a time where I hated ByoNoiseGenerator’s music. It was more than a simple lack of understanding as it pertained to its construction or method. It was a visceral, primal repulsion to everything they were doing, sound and style. And yet I sit, happily spinning Subnormal Dives ad infinitum without a trace of fatigue. Its winning personality and unimpeachable songwriting not only won me over on its own merits, but also permanently reversed the polarity on my experience with BYONG’s past work. If that’s not a minor miracle in this fucked up world, then what else is?

Tracks to Check Out: “Eb (D#),” “NULL.state = PERMANENT; return VOID;,”” “LoveChargedDiveBombs,” “I’mNot20Anymore (21Ne)”



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