EP REVIEW: Love And Other Lies – Lifesick
Across three full-lengths so far, Danish five-piece LIFESICK have established a solid reputation for mixing raging metallic hardcore with the kind of death metal that’s usually done best by their Swedish neighbours. So solid, in fact, that they’ve caught the attention of the mighty Metal Blade Records, for whom they now make their debut with a three-track EP and follow-up to their excellent most recent full-length Misanthropy. But while Love And Other Lies does dole out the kind of punishing one would hope and expect of it, it has something a little different in mind to begin with.
The surprise in question – which may have been spoilt or at least already enjoyed by those who’ve heard it as a single – is opener Every Unpleasant Emotion, a moody acoustic number that places the listener somewhere in the old West from the moment vocalist Simon Shoshan drawls “He ain’t gonna shoot / The poor boy is scared”. It’s dark and dour and deeply immersive, reminiscent of the likes of NICK CAVE and TOM WAITS – and by extension some of the gloomier parts of CULT LEADER’s outstanding A Patient Man – and an indicator of the impressive range of an arsenal that one can only hope LIFESICK will draw from even more in the future.
But then they revert to type. Subsequent tracks Rude Awakening and Reverse Birth are both undeniable ragers; their respective guest vocalists of Mark Whelan of FUMING MOUTH and Todd Jones of NAILS both slot really easily into LIFESICK’s sound, which is definitely a good thing given how much people love the bands they’ve come from, and the production and mixing of Jacob Bredahl makes everything feel absolutely massive, but at this point a question does arise as to the purpose and focus of Love And Other Lies. It’s not just one of those little bouts of all out violence that some of these bands go for, nor is it a complete detour into something that might not have worked on a full-length – it’s kind of both, which might work for some but can also feel a little jarring when all this is confined to a tight 11 minutes.
If you don’t overthink it though, you’ll find three killer tracks here – one that shows an exciting potential avenue for development and two that remind listeners of what LIFESICK already do best. It’s a good tide-over to the full-length which is expected later this year, and which could be very special indeed if it is able to draw on the breadth of talent the band have shown here and turn it into something a little more cohesive.
Rating: 7/10
Love And Other Lies is set for release on January 12th via Metal Blade Records.
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