Though the forges of Bethlehem Steel have long been extinguished, Dissentience is here to prove that the steel town still has plenty of metal to offer. Since its inception, the four-piece death-thrash act has set out to bring their unique blend of speed, groove, and unfiltered aggression to the masses across the tri-state area and the northeast U.S. The release of the band’s 2018 EP Mask of Pretense brought forth praise both from fans and critics alike, with Decibel Magazine calling it “relentless, technical and melodic.” An explosive showcase of energy and precision, Dissentience’s live performance took them to the Viper Room after winning the East Coast leg of the Wacken Metal Battle USA in 2019. Entering the scene with unmatched intensity and a sound that already screams “unique,” the take-no-prisoners attitude of Dissentience is indisputable and made even more apparent on their upcoming album.
‘“Clinical Psychosis” takes the listener on a wild, thrash-laden journey through the mind of an unwilling MK Ultra acid test participant. The whole MK Ultra program and the mystery surrounding it is something we got turned onto from the Wormwood documentary and from delving into the roots of the San Francisco psychedelic movement of the 60s. The CIA was trying to find a method of mind control via psychedelics and other substances and, in the process, many agents and unsuspecting coworkers got secretly dosed. Imagine going to work at your government desk job, drinking your morning coffee, and 45 minutes later you’re totally tripped out while a room full of suits are watching your every move and studyingyou like a lab rat…we wanted to write something from the perspective of the victim in that scenario.
Musically, we wanted to invoke the wild ride through this person’s drug-addled mind so the riffs twist and turn into one another and have a more melodic and flowing nature to them while still maintaining the aggression and spastic influence of our thrash and death metal roots. Unlike most of the metal that gets the psychedelic label thrown at it, we wanted to capture the chaos, intensity, and mental claustrophobia of a bad trip instead of stretching the song out into a jam-laden epic, so we kept it fairly succinct but constantly moving to keep the listener’s mind on the edge of insanity, just like the unwilling test subject in the lyrics.
Despite the song’s darker content, this was one of the tracks that really had all of us hooked listening back to it in the studio and so far this song has gotten some of the best feedback from fans both online and at shows so it only makes sense to give it the single treatment.” – Connor Valentin
Jimmy Vitale – Guitars
Sean Langer – Bass/Vocals
Nick Scherden – Drums
Lyric video by Jason Keith
Single artwork by Daniel “Sawblade” Shaw
MORE ABOUT THE ALBUM:
Dissentience’s first full-length album Empire Anatomy was released early this year and it refines the death-thrash groundwork laid out in the band’s previous effort without sacrificing intensity or musicality. From the opening moments of “War of Belief,” the band makes it known that the listener is in for a wild ride, twisting and turning through riffs at breakneck speed. The guitar work, ably provided by the duo of Jimmy Vitale and Connor Valentin, blends melodic tendencies with relentless brutality to produce a sound equally as heavy as it is memorable. While speed is at the forefront of most of the album, a powerful sense of groove pervades tracks like “Darkness Perennial,” adding to the dark and brooding atmosphere that oozes from each song.
Seamlessly blending elements from across the spectrum of metal, Empire Anatomy sounds more like the product of a seasoned act than a debut. Each track is constructed with the intent of maximum sonic impact without losing dynamism or integrity, showcasing each member’s talents as the album goes on. Whether it’s the relentless drumming of Nick Scherden, Sean Langer’s pounding bass lines, or Valentin’s larynx-shredding howl, each song offers something to write home about. Empire Anatomy clocks in at just over 40 minutes but the interplay between bombastic riffs and infectious melodies will have listeners scrambling to replay the album as soon as it’s over. With a level of ferocity and songwriting which rivals that of bands decades their senior, Dissentience cements itself at the forefront of a new breed of American metal.
TRACK LIST
WAR OF BELIEF
UBESUTE
CLINICAL PSYCHOSIS
THE END (AND ALL IN BETWEEN)
LOST IN RAGE
CABAL
PURSUIT OF DELUSION
DARKNESS PERENNIAL
THE BEAST BENEATH
RECKONING DAY
Facebook: \https://www.facebook.com/dissentienceband
Twitter: @_dissentience
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dissentience
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2XzjaIrjSJWK7nNaMPoCae
Purchase Single:https://dissentience.bandcamp.com/track/clinical-psychosis
Album Spotify: https://dissentience.bandcamp.com/album/empire-anatomy
Album Bandcamp:https://dissentience.bandcamp.com/album/empire-anatomy
Website:https://www.dissentience.com/ and https://dissentience.bandcamp.com/
Merch:https://www.dissentience.com/
