Simon Shoshan: Vocals
Nicolai Lindegaard: Guitar
Nikolai Lund: Guitar
Jeppe Riis Frausing: Bass
Jeppe Løwe: Drums
Formed in Fredericia, Denmark in 2015, Lifesick create brutal and brutally honest songs with lyrics inspired by the turbulent nature of life. Musically influenced by Swedish death metal, Lifesick‘s authentic and explosive mixture of crushing tones and modern breakdowns create an uncompromising sound and vision.
Vocalist/lyricist Simon Shoshan (aka Simon Sorrow) doesn’t shy away from personal topics, including depression and mental illness, and his forthrightness resonates with fans. Shoshan mines personal experiences, but says, “as soon as we enter the studio I will change small details and make them less about my personal experiences and into a more open story for the listener’s interpretation. I always hope people can find themselves in the words and either heal or destroy themselves while listening.”
The band’s Metal Blade debut, the three-song EP Love and Other Lies, is the follow-up to Lifesick‘s critically acclaimed 2022 Misanthropy LP, a record the press praised as an “an absolute barnburner, practically overflowing with buzzsaw riffs, blistering blast beats, bludgeoning breakdowns and brutish, barking vocals.” The three new tracks “Every Unpleasant Emotion,” “Rude Awakening” and “Reverse Birth“-produced by Jacob Bredahl at Dead Rat Studio in Aarhus, Denmark, mixed by Jacob Bredahl and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, further Misanthropy‘s brutality.
One of the trio of tunes, however, shows a different side of Lifesick‘s heaviness. “We always try to do new things. So our acoustic song, ‘Every Unpleasant Emotion,’ with clean vocals, is very new to us, but something we always wanted to try,” says guitarist Nicolai Lindegaard.
“I listen to a lot of old American folk and country from pre-World War II; there’s just something real about music from that time,” adds Shoshan. “So for it to fit into the Lifesick universe, we tweaked it with some darker tones and layers. Some have said it could be a theme song for a true crime series.”
It’s a cool departure but perfect fit with the Lifesick universe. “Our new songs are everything we feel worked the best from Misanthropy guitar riff-wise. Misanthropy had more ‘technical’ musicality, but ultimately, we feel that’s not our direction,” says Lindegaard. “We want to keep things simple, and focus on the mosh parts.”
Two guests join the band on the EP. Lifesick are huge fans of Mark Whelan from American death metallers Fuming Mouth, and he contributed to “Rude Awakening.” And Nails‘ Todd Jones rarely does vocal features, so Lifesick was honored he dug “Reverse Birth” and appears on the song. “We are all very inspired by him; his way of making things sound so aggressive and that “to the bone” simplicity is something we lean toward when writing songs,” the band explains. “We have always wanted to have him on a Lifesick song.”
“Every Unpleasant Emotion,” “Rude Awakening” and “Reverse Birth” each have an accompanying video created to tell a cohesive story, yet also to stand alone. “Lyrically, I tried to make three very different songs,” says Shoshan. “In that way it offers our fans everything they wanted from a Lifesick record. I have dealt with a lot of darkness, death and heartache, and it’s been hitting me hard. The best way for me to work with these emotions is putting them on paper.”
The conceptual “Every Unpleasant Emotion” video sees the literal death of love, with lyrics about guiding a killer’s hand. Consequences hit hard in “Rude Awakening,” along with a intimate live set in June 2023, while “Reverse Birth” shows footage from the band’s savage show at 2022′s Copenhell Festival before cutting away for a shocking conclusion to the three-song storyline. The band creates and directs their own videos, the Love and Other Lies videos done in conjunction with Maksim Ruhljadiev, who filmed and edited all three.
LIfesick have played more than 200 shows, among them numerous European tours and festivals, including Impericon’s “Never Say Die tour” and Copenhell. They haven’t yet played the U.S., however, Spotify streams for “Suicide Spell,” “Buying Time” and “Dies Irae” show that the lineup has many fans in the States. The quintet are excited to further Misanthropy‘s momentum with these Love and Other Lies. “With this EP we are excited stay on the wave we’re on right now,” the band says. That wave will see Lifesick continue to play ever bigger festivals and gigs while writing for their next full-length album, to be recorded in 2024. Lifesick continue to bring the darkness to light.
