By Ryan Leighton
Deathgrind, hardcore, and country in one release? ‘Why not?’ ask Lifesick with their newest EP ‘Love and Other Lies’, and I actually have to agree.
As you can tell, this EP is kind of a different one, with a mix of a few genres, encompassing the band’s usual, reliably relentless deathgrind assault, as well as the new ground of a dark, country-esque track. A strange move, but it is well worth a listen.
The release’s opener, ‘Every Unpleasant Emotion’, is a surprising venture into uncharted territory for the band. In what I’d liken to Johnny Cash meets Goth Rock (but in a good way), Lifesick offer something commendably experimental in a genre that generally isn’t too open to it. Acoustic guitar, gruff but clean vocals, and a brooding, world-weary atmosphere achieve what might be called an old new world sound, which wouldn’t feel out of place on the soundtrack to a grim western or a show like Sons of Anarchy. ‘Every Unpleasant Emotion’ may not fall into some listeners’ usual stylistic tastes, but, if given a chance, I feel it is a rewarding and refreshing listen that showcases the band’s versatility.
In the second track, ‘Rude Awakening’, which is, for me, the strongest song on the EP, a thunderstorm intro gives way to a tempest of manic guitars. The song is relentlessly aggressive, bass-heavy, breakdown-heavy, with a chugging chainsaw guitar sound, accompanied by venomous, mid-level growls and screams, and howitzer blast beats. It has a very Swedish sound, reminiscent of old school bands like Entombed, Dismember, Grave, etc. The bassiness of the guitars might even be likened to Resurrection Through Carnage era Bloodbath, another staple of the Swedish scene. The song achieves a great blend of old school influences and some more current trends, i.e. the prevalence of breakdowns, and Mark Whelan of Fuming Mouth does a great job of adding to the chaos with his great guest vocals.
‘Reverse Birth’ is the third and final song on the EP. It is similar in style to the previous track, but with some Cannibal Corpse-esque bass parts, and overall being a little more reminiscent of Napalm Death. This is due to it having a more grindcore attitude about it, helped in part by the uber-aggressive snarling delivered by guest vocalist Todd Jones of grindcore/powerviolence veterans Nails. The sound of swarming flies marks the outro, like they’re gathered to feast on the remains of the listener, now the brutal assault is through.
Overall, this is a solid inaugural release on the Metal Blade label for the band, promising a bright future. Straightforward, in-your-face, heavy riffs, sledgehammer breakdowns, misanthropic lyrics, growls, screams, and death grunts galore – this is similar, uncomprising death metal/grindcore that fans of the band will know and love, along with the refreshing experiment that is the first track.
- ‘Love and Other Lies‘ is released on Friday (12 January).
- Lifesick tour with CABAL, starting on Friday:
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.