HEALTH : 'Conflict DLC"

 

Opening with "Ordinary Loss" they tap into their balance of vulnerability and hammering industrial march, though with much more space given to the vocals that sit more forward in the mix for something that is not as dark as we have heard from these guys in the past, despite the barrage of metallic guitar. Lyrically, it expresses the same desperate and deprecating sentiments. 'Burn the Candles" might take a few listens for it to grow on me. While it works off a very high-energy propulsion beat-wise, there is a little more hope than I am used to hearing from them. The vocals sit back into the wall of sound a little more on the chorus, which is weird for them. It modulates into a pretty awesome groove. 

"Vibe Cop" was the lead single, which works off a familiar formula. His androgynous vocals haunt from within the cogs of the industrial machine churning forward. The pulse of "Trash Decade" is more along the lines of what long-time fans expect from these guys. Lyrically, it is also one of the album's stronger songs so far. "Anidote" is a sign of positive change, while it is written more like a pop song is finds them digging into deeper melodies and giving themselves the sonic space to do so. The songs fall within the accessible three-minute range. I think if they were going to break into the mainstream, it would have been before they were 6 albums into their career. But it should secure them as a more noted name in the circles they traverse. There is a subtle hook in "DARKAGE" that works wonders. 

'Shred Envy" is not about shredding guitar, but rather wishing he had never been born. There are plenty of crunch guitars and screaming mixed into the background. "You Died" has an interesting, almost witch house beat to it. The vocals sit in a more subtle place, with the lyrics cutting through to deliver their lamentations of heartbreak in the big city. There is a pop sensibility to it without selling out. "Thought Leader" finds them taking you down the sad boy path that works so well. The guitar sound is tweaked a bit on this album. I think staying on tour has played in their favor as a band. 

"Don't Kill Yourself" is another really emotionally powerful song, despite their knack for sounding disassociated from their emotional turmoil; the self-loathing is dialed up even from the outside looking in. They sound more like a band than they look like a band that might struggle with gender identity. The haint ones body feels very in line with this. There is almsot a more Depeche Mode feel to the last song. I will give this album a 10 and see how it grows on me, some of the production choices have to grow on me but they give me eno.ugh darkness to hit the place I want from them, which is somewhere in the sweet dystopian sound of self-loathing.  It is out on December 11th on Lorna Vista.

Thanks for reading, give a listen to the song below, and please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666 pst567