“Into dirt, into dust, It’s an ordinary loss, Everyone that you love, They’re here and then they’re gone.” From the opening ominous moments of HEALTH‘s sixth album, ‘CONFLICT DLC,’ you’re instantly told this is going to be a bleak listen. On the surface, you have to doubt what HEALTH have to be miserable about. Aided by high-profile support slots (such as Sleep Token) and collaborations with Nine Inch Nails, Bad Omens, and Poppy, the Los Angeles trio of vocalist/guitarist Jacob Duzsik, John Famiglietti (bass, electronics), and BJ Miller (drums) has emerged as leaders of modern industrial noise rock. Nevertheless, Duzsik’s writing has consistently been downbeat, honing in on themes of depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsion. Furthermore, as its title suggests, there is a social and cultural awareness to ‘CONFLICT DLC’. In short, the world is in a shit state, and Duzsik, Famiglietti, and Miller know it.
As ‘Ordinary Loss’ gallops with its pulsating electronic undertone, teasing a sense of catharsis to Duzsik’s hopeless words, HEALTH provide a sonic assault. ‘CONFLICT DLC’ is considered a companion piece to 2024’s ‘RAT WARS’ , yet comes off as more direct and visceral. You can credit the impact of playing numerous metal festivals, as well as the mixing work of WZRD BLD, aka Drew Fulk (Knocked Loose’s ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To’), for that. It allows moments such as ‘SHRED ENVY’ and ‘THOUGHT LEADER’ to sit in a steely, industrial metal tone we’ve come to expect from HEALTH. Yet it has evolved. On the former, the adrenaline rushing verses give way to a raw, melodic chorus of “Wish I’d never been born”. Whereas the latter wraps a sweeping cinematic blanket around its brooding skin.
‘VIBE COP’ is what we’ve come to expect from HEALTH. Blistering thrash guitars complemented by a bass-y synth with Duzsik’s fragile vocals. It’s a near-perfect pairing of their metal and electronica tendencies. ‘BURN THE CANDLES’s pounding drum stirs up images of a blood-soaked underground cyberpunk rave amid Duzsik’s haunting words of desperation. Yet when it suddenly stops, it serves as some form of respite.
When they’re not pumping up heart rates, there are softer, crystalline moments such as ‘ANTIDOTE’. Taking the form of a ballad, its hypnotic chord progression and atmospheric vocals, it doesn’t quite have the compelling quality it’s aiming for. Later on, ‘YOU DIED’ succeeds in providing a sparse and captivating offering. Aided by the solemn hook of “You’re dead, I’ll be like you, You’ll be like me, I’ll be dead too,” it doesn’t stretch itself from being too experimental. ‘DON’T KILL YOURSELF’ is on par with the emotional weight. Here, bubbling instrumentation adds intensity to Jacob’s anxiety-ridden and self-loathing mindset. It makes for the ideal prelude to the album’s finale. ‘Wasted Years’ six-plus minutes wraps up the distant emotional tone that is threaded throughout ‘CONFLICT DLC’. A fuzz-laden wall of distortion masks Duzsik’s vocals, aligning with the forlorn and abandoned lyrics.
‘CONFLICT DLC’ neatly captures HEALTH‘s view of the world through an ideally bleak lens. The metal textures scattered throughout are welcomed, but as always, musically, the trio’s sound is often cold and rigid. Yet through Jacob Duzsik’s tenor vocals, and the occasional softer track, they’re able to offer sweeping catharsis. Without a doubt, HEALTH have moulded a distinct sound and tone. ‘CONFLICT DLC’ may not break new stylistic ground, but it does achieve in being a sharper representation of what the trio have been doing.
‘CONFLICT DC’ by HEALTH is out now on Loma Vista.
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