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, and 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.