Wristmeetrazor: Conflict, Creation And Catharsis
We all know that styles of music can ebb and flow in their popularity over time. Genres that once appeared forgotten can suddenly burst back into life, seemingly out of nowhere. The current OSDM revival is a popular example, but so too is the recent explosion of bands who seem to have their eyes set on a very specific style of metalcore popularised in the mid-00s. One such band is WRISTMEETRAZOR, who are set to release their second full-length album, Replica Of A Strange Love, on June 11th. Even in a scene that’s witnessed plenty of impressive so-called ‘revivalcore’ releases over the past few years, Replica Of A Strange Love stands as quite the achievement, sounding fresh and new whilst still harking back to metalcore’s glory days.
“That’s the music that we were kind of first romanticised by when it comes to the heavier side of things,” explains the band’s frontman Justin Fornoff. “I think that there is a want for music like this because of how popular it used to be, and I think that everything is cyclical and stuff like that comes back around, and people find merit in things that they didn’t really catch on to when they were younger. I think a lot of the younger people really do like this and the older people find it nostalgic.”
Both musically and lyrically, there’s no question Replica Of A Strange Love marks an evolution from the band’s promising debut, Misery Never Forgets, with Fornoff describing this record as WRISTMEETRAZOR at their current peak. “I think undeniably the earlier stuff was coming from a place of more hopeless romanticism, and this record comes from a place of more nihilistic hopelessness. It’s more from a point of view of someone who is witnessing a reality that they don’t necessarily agree with or understand or think has any meaning. So a lot of the songs reflect that in very heavy ways. But also I’m not a big ham-fisted lyric kinda guy, so I don’t think the songs necessarily are forcing any of those themes, but I think that they all portray those themes in different and varying ways.”
The subject matter is indeed heavy on this album, but when asked if it takes its toll, Fornoff isn’t so sure. “I don’t know if it necessarily takes its toll per se, It’s a thing we’ve kind of had to attack as a band, if it’s some sort of gimmick to take advantage of suicide or something to that extent, and it really isn’t. This is mostly just our reflection of how we are surviving. So as far as like, does it take its toll, I feel a lot of catharsis in what I do when it comes to writing lyrics, and I know the other guys feel catharsis in being able to write the songs and perform them. So in the long run the band acts as that, but also on a much bigger and more grandiose scale it acts as a reflection of how we perceive the world.”
What is clear is that Fornoff has put a lot of thought into the lyrics on this record. Perhaps an obvious example comes on the album’s cryptically-titled ninth track 99 & 44/100. “The reference there is from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. It’s the secret code that Willy Wonka puts in to get into the main room of the chocolate factory. The song itself is very heavily themed in numerology. I’m a very big follower of numerology and Crowley and occultism and stuff like that, and you can find all of it. It’s all on the record in hidden ways and more obvious ways. That song is probably the most obvious nod to it if you wanted to do the math, listen to it, break down the lyrics,” he explains. “The record isn’t conceptual at all, but there are larger themes that tie it together that aren’t supposed to be concept record-wise. Some of my favourite records of all time have kind of been records that are only vaguely conceptual and the concept is really in the listener. Listeners kind of create concepts, and artists put out things they think represent themselves and they hope that other people will listen to and get what they get out of it.”
Musically, Replica Of A Strange Love is more of a group effort. Fornoff is quick to assert that, as with all music from WRISTMEETRAZOR, the album was definitely crafted with the live experience in mind. It’s also clearly a product of a fierce refining process involving the four band members and their producer Isaac Hale of KNOCKED LOOSE. “Conflict is good for creation I think, conflict is good for creativity in general. You never wanna have too many agreeable people in the same room because then you’re just putting the first thing that comes off your head on the record and it never comes out quite as good as when you have a room full of people that are just like ‘yeah, I don’t know I think that sucks.’ It’s never personal, and no-one ever takes anything home.”
With the record not being shared with the world until a full year after it was put to tape, Fornoff is understandably itching to have it out there. He and WRISTMEETRAZOR have their sights firmly set on some lengthy touring as soon as possible, and he promises that the excitement won’t stop there. “The plan is always to keep it going, keep evolving, keep doing new, different and interesting things. There’s still plenty more surprises with the band even after the record comes out!”
Replica Of A Strange Love is out now via Prosthetic Records.
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