Simon Shoshan: Vocals
Nicolai Lindegaard: Guitar
Nikolai Lund: Guitar
Jeppe Riis Frausing: Bass
Jeppe Løwe: Drums
Lifesick's hometown of Fredericia in Denmark was founded in 1650 as a giant fortress, at a time when the country was being continually battered by war and defeated by empire after empire. Although the Danish Realm is now among the world's most peaceful and prosperous places to live, Lifesick are keen to alert us to the bitter conflict still raging in their hearts and minds. After three full-lengths of increasing weight and intensity, 2023's Life And Other Lies EP brought the band's sobering death-metallic hardcore to Metal Blade, where they have come of age with the kaleidoscopic fury and ironclad gloom of Loved By None, Hated By All. "Sometimes it feels like the more you give, the more they take," comments the band on that pessimistic title. "Over the last couple of years, I've given my all, but we've been knocked down time after time. That's what inspired me to write this title, and it resonates with most of the songs on the album. It fits perfectly with Lifesick's theme, which is and always will be about the roughness of living in today's world. Lifesick exists as it does because of the world as it is."
The song titles tell their own sad stories: Death Wish, Legacy Of Misery, Poems For My Funeral, The Mourning March… This is funeral doom levels of dejection, dispatched with therapeutically extreme levels of punk aggression and deathly brutality. "The lyrical content represents the most sincere and raw expression of my thoughts to date," the band affirms. "I don't hold back on my toughest times in life; every word is completely honest. This might shock some people and concern others, but much of it reflects my past, from various dark periods in my life. Although I still struggle with depression and mental health issues, these lyrics are drawn from notes I made in the moment. I believe it's important not to hide your worst times and to speak openly about them. I've always battled anxiety and depression, even since my days as a young punk. I've faced addiction numerous times, and my mind has wandered to places I never want to revisit. The past two years have been especially tough, but they've also provided me with plenty of material to write about. It's as if the more that bad things happen, the deeper we delve into this depressive Lifesick universe. While it's sad to think about, we also know that our songs bring joy and meaning, despite their tough and aggressive sound."
As with previous platters, the LP was recorded by Jacob Bredahl at his Dead Rat facility ("He understands our sound and knows how we want to record," notes the band, "and he's just easy to work with, which is crucial during a 10-day recording session when pressure and different tempers can arise"). This time Jacob's role expanded beyond engineering, helping to shape and revise new material before twiddling a single knob. "He came down to our rehearsal room where we played all the songs for him live, so he could add his touch to each song or edit stuff that we might have been a little blind to from playing the songs too much. This was the first time we did this, and it was very effective. It is definitely not the last time we will do it."
Even so, the responsibility for applying Lifesick's monomaniacal momentum to a more sophisticated and immersive sound picture has been shared around more than usual. Mixing was farmed out to Taylor Young at The Pit, "to give it a different touch or nuance from our previous releases", while the tracks were handed to noise collective John Cxnnor, "to enhance the album with sound design and samples throughout every song, to better unify the album. We provided them with all the songs, along with keywords about the lyrical themes and the album artwork. With this information, they created unique dark industrial samples that perfectly fit the songs and our vision for the album."
The results ring loud and clear from this tumultuous masterwork of bleak aggro beauty. Surely the band's finest recording to date - no easy feat considering the compulsive force of previous releases - there is some special spark of magic at work here, evidenced by how quickly it came together: "This album was definitely the fastest 10 songs we ever made," the band attest. "We knew from the start the exact sound and vibe we wanted for each song. We aimed for something that hits hard live and makes you want to move and mosh, but is also interesting to listen to at home. It's like we're in a competition with ourselves, aiming to surpass our previous records and improve each time while maintaining the signature Lifesick sound. Each record serves as a sort of dark diary, capturing the feelings and frustrations of that year, translating the human experience into music. Life and the world are becoming more complicated, [so] the music naturally follows the energy of the world around us as it slowly crumbles."
Tours across Denmark, Europe and Southeast Asia are being planned, and Lifesick are thinking more ambitiously than ever about spreading the word around. "We aim for this new album to open doors to new festivals and regions we've never visited before. One of our main goals with this album is to tour in the US. This is by far our best work, and we hope to expand our fan base. We hope our fans enjoy the album, and we encourage everyone to speak up if they're struggling with mental health or depression."
