UNHEALTHY MECHANISMS is the caustic sophomore album from Arizona death crusters GO AHEAD AND DIE. A torrential whirlwind born from the livid minds of Igor Amadeus Cavalera (HEALING MAGIC) and Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY). This new installment to the band's dystopian catalog is a fresh dive into the madness of society and the pollution that ravages our minds. From the first note, there is a sense of unhinged insanity; a grim rhythm that takes listeners down sinister alleyways and across ravaged soundscapes.
Igor and Max supply crunching, frenetic guitar riffs and ear-splitting dive bombs in the no-holds-barred "F*** you" fashion of the Cavalera family. Igor states, "I played my guitar directly in front of the amp with the gain turned high, trying to get feedback everywhere I could. I really wanted it to feel like a live recording, so I played like I would in a crowded bar-room, loud and in your face."
The high-energy presence is palpable as both father and son rip through riffs like a brick through a window. "This album is about mental health, and specifically the decline of it. You can hear the passion in our voices. Max and I did all the vocals in as minimal takes as possible to keep that authentic aggression alive and well. There's things in this world that make me sick, that make my head sick. This was my way of letting it be heard."
The duo brings forth a vast well of emotions with their growling and shrieking, spitting words like venom with an underlying sense of connection amidst catchiness. Venturing into topics such as depression, anger, numbness, suicide, and violence, they capture the bleak reality of the world with poetic yet savage justice. Layers of guitar riffs, screams, and distorted bass-lines are supported by the fierce drumming of Johnny Valles (BLACK BRAID, HEALING MAGIC) who smashes, blasts, and D-Beats his way through song after song with the power of a bulldozer. To retain that 'live-show' sound, the drums were recorded in full sessions without any type of metronome or triggering."
Johnny's drumming received Max's very own stamp of approval, the metal icon commented, "Johnny was a great guy to drum on this record. He has a bad- a** death metal style that fit perfectly with this band. He can blast and he can shred fast stuff, but he also beat the sh*t out of the drums when I asked him to. We put him to the test and he passed." Tracks like 'Desert Carnage', 'Tumors', and 'Most Dangerous Animal' are blistering death metal rippers that will saw through your skull like chainsaws. In regard to the deadly opening track, Max has stated, "'Desert Carnage' was Igor's idea of an apocalyptic desert based on Arizona, where we live. How the desert is a hostile place with hostile people. Some of Igor's best riffs on the album are on that track,
the energy is frantic. Like you're out in the middle of the desert in desperation."
Max continued, "One of my other favorites on the album is 'Tumors'! For all the lying, back-stabbing motherf***ers out there. They need to be removed from your life just like a tumor, before they can spread like cancer. Straight up catchy caveman death metal with a lot of piss and vinegar. I dare you not to headbang when this comes on." In a tasteful balance to the crusty-grindy-death sound that GO AHEAD AND DIE has achieved previously, this record also displays gritty pissed-off punk angst through songs such as 'Drug-O-Cop' and 'No Easy Way Out'.
Igor explained, "I was into punk music maybe even before I was into metal. I've always loved the outpouring of emotions in it, the raw vision of it. It really shines through on this album, especially on 'Drug-O-Cop'. There's this killer mashup of styles, death and destruction. And I've always used
my music to speak out against injustice, frustration, corruption. In my opinion, you wouldn't have extreme- metal without punk, so why not mix the two together?"
In minutes you will be engulfed by the teeth-baring speed and attitude, the highs and the lows each as enjoyable as the other. Whether you are getting slingshotted by blast beats or dragged through the gloominess, it is an exhilarating experience nonetheless. Despairing voices speak of obliteration and fear, ghostly transmissions interspersed through the music like the ramblings of delusional schizophrenics. After nine demonstrations of brutality, the album comes to a crescendo with the title track, 'Unhealthy Mechanisms'. Four minutes of crust laden death metal, which leads to a psychedelic build-up that ultimately cascades into the final pummeling moments of the record. The Cavalera family dually yelling, "It rules everything. It takes everything. You're gone."
Echoing in your brain even after the silence has overtaken. From start to finish, UNHEALTHY MECHANISMS will tow you through the frenzied arterials of an unhealthy mind. The music truly speaks for those that battle with themselves, and despite the darkness and intensity of extreme metal, it offers those who suffer refuge from the weight of their thoughts. GO AHEAD AND DIE'S newest record is a testament to declining mental health around the world, and a reminder that we are not alone in our pain. The mind is lost. The fuse is lit. Time to set everything ablaze.
