VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR
In *VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR*, the LA noisemakers distinguish themselves from the industrial pantheon by further mitigating the visceral electro-punk of 2015’s *Death Magic*. The trio are not softening up by any means, only pushing their typically abrasive sounds into a more tuneful direction. The gray-hued, decrepit landscape they envision in *SLAVES* plays like an allegory for our trying times; the future isn’t just looking bleak—it *is* bleak. Longtime producer Lars Stalfors assists in amplifying drummer B.J. Miller’s clanging beats and guitarist Jake Duzsik’s speed-metal breakdowns on “GOD BOTHERER,” while on the anxious “STRANGE DAYS (1999),” bassist John Famiglietti’s mechanized EDM bass drops obstruct its loud/soft dynamic stretches with great intensity. The band even channel their inner Jerry Bruckheimer on \"STRANGE DAYS (1999)” as they fuse icy synths and thrilling drum pounds with the sheer magnitude of a sci-fi action sequence. HEALTH thrust their hammering rhythms within a pop framework—they invite us to find some escape in their cyberpunk-themed party before all chaos erupts.
The Los Angeles band used to make lithe, multifaceted songs that wrapped daring pop melodies in bristling noise; now, they seem content to complain into a murky hybrid of trip-hop and metal.
With album four, the LA noise veterans take on the state of the world, attempting to pulverise injustice with sound alone.
These long-term fans of impeccable contradictions are tearing up rulebooks quicker than anyone else can write them.
Since their return with 2015's Death Magic, HEALTH have added purpose and focus to their music, a trend they continue with Vol.
VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR is a move back to basics for HEALTH and feels like the album they were supposed to make.
HEALTH are not a band that fans would associate with subtlety. Their songs are spelled in all caps and they are loud, a band that seem most...
The Los Angeles trio returns with their most ominous, brooding, and diverse effort yet---and consequently their best.
HEALTH'S new album 'Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear' sets out with a bold mission to "document of just how frightening it feels to be alive right now."
'VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR' by Health, album review by Adam Williams. The full-length drops on February 8th, via Loma Vista Recordings
Whether or not their brand of noise has worn thin will determine your enjoyment of SLAVES OF FEAR, but fans who have reveled in watching the band lean into industrial will rejoice.