Lifesick – Love And Other Lies (Review)

Denmark’s hardest Lifesick return with this short but neat little EP, marking their first release on renowed Metal Blade Records after the band gained some underground recognition with their preceding records Misanthrophy (2022 – Isolation), Swept In Black (2018 – Isolation) and 6.0.1, (2016 – Southern Lord).

With a band name like Lifesick there come certain associations when going into another record. Especially considering the pounding heavy hardcore records the band already put out in the past. If you’re unfamiliar with their sound, think of a mixture between Integrity, Dismember and a good dose of beatdown hardcore leaning acts. Therefore I was more than surprised Lifesick chose to open the record with a more than unusal song for them. “Every Unpleasant Emotion” kicks off the record with a gloomy Nick Cave impersonation and doomy Americana sounds, telling a story about killing someone with a gun. Which may sound kinda corny on paper, acutally works quite well as a stark contrast to the two following face melters „Rude Awakening“ and „Reverse Birth“ and shows a different side of the band. „Rude Awakening“ then follows this more mellow track with a total ass whooping hardcore stomp, including a feature of Mark Whelan of Fuming Mouth fame, carrying the scandinavian death metal spirit in its dynamic tempo shifts and buzzsaw guitar riffs. Closer „Reverse Birth“, featuring a fairly rare guest appearance by Todd Jones (Nails), ramps up the tempo before culminating in a nasty ass breakdown that will leave no stones unturned in a live setting.

In total we have a short review for a short release but ultimately Lifesick present 11 minutes of perfectly crafted death metal and beatdown infused hardcore, leaving fans of said genre wanting more. It will be really interesting to see how their full lenght debut on Metal Blade will turn out which is due for recording this year as well.