VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR
VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR gives HEALTH a heavier, darker sound. Drums hit hard, electronic textures scrape, and guitars provide short, firm accents. Jake Duzsik's soft voice remains strangely calm above them. The contrast is familiar for the band, but here it carries a more pronounced sense of unrest and threat.
PSYCHONAUT immediately establishes that world. Hard rhythms and sharp noise leave little space. A recognisable shape still survives within the sound. The production can make individual hits huge without turning everything into an indistinct mass. This gives the opening considerable immediate force.
GOD BOTHERER makes the metal influence more explicit. Short, fast movements produce a different tension from the slower pieces. Later, WRONG BAG shows how much weight the band can create with synthesizers. Electronic sounds do more than stand behind the guitars; they carry a significant part of the attack themselves.
Constant pressure also has a limitation. Across twelve tracks, some methods become predictable, and not every melody remains memorable. Sombre lyrics give the music a clear setting without always adding a new perspective. Some outbursts consequently lose force precisely because they return so frequently.
The title track brings the tension into sharper focus again. Closing piece DECIMATION then chooses a softer, almost whispered approach. That difference is welcome, although it feels more like an afterthought than a large conclusion. SLAVES OF FEAR contains many strong sounds and a convincing heavy character. The best pieces combine that force with a clear melody or an interesting rhythm. The album as a whole would benefit from more variety, but the distinctive contrast between calm singing and hard electronics retains its appeal. It gives the strongest moments a presence that their familiar ingredients alone cannot explain.
