Going into album number three, Replacire had their duck boats all in a row. The Bostonians were fresh off a short run supporting their kindred spirits Exist. With their new lineup squarely in place, the tech-death band were all set to re-enter their mastermind’s studio come March 2020.
Of course, the pandemic soon laid waste to Replacire’s well-laid plans. As the title suggests, nothing about the band’s new album came easy. But after countless Zoom calls, grueling 12-hour recording sessions, sleep paralysis and one near trip to the hospital, The Center That Cannot Hold flexes all of their might.
The Center That Cannot Hold comes out June 21, 2024 on Season of Mist.
Listen to the title track: https://youtu.be/x3kUnlqvUYw
Order & Stream: https://orcd.co/replacirethecenterthatcannotholdpresave
Take a closer look at their name and it’s clear why Replacire has become synonymous with Eric Alper. After all, Alper is their solo original member, having started the band all the way back in 2009 as a student at Berklee College of Music.
When he’s not producing other people’s records, Alper is sculpting his own physique as a competitive body builder. But during the sessions for The Center That Cannot Hold, he was weighed down by writer’s block.
“I was stressed out from just trying to keep my head above water”, Alper says. “When the pandemic shut everything down, I had to sell our tour van and give up our rehearsal space just to keep my finances together. There were a lot of writing sessions where all I could manage to do was hum a few chords”.
Fortunately, help was close by. Replacire’s lineup boasts three fellow Berklee grads. Alper might’ve managed to come up with the riff that chisels into the title track like a chainsaw through a hunk of granite, but Kee Po Hock fleshes out the head banging with zippy melodic leads and fret bends that sound as nerve-wracked as a malfunctioning cyborg. It’s the rhythm section though that takes the reins on “The Center That Cannot Hold”. Joey Feretti starts off fully aslant with harsh syncopated thwacks, only for bassist Zak Baskin to dunk the song’s middle passage into a trippy breakdown.
James Dorton is no slouch, either. The former Black Crown Initiate vocalist has also filled in on tour for Ne Obliviscaris. Aside from his massive stage presence, Dorton is recognized amongst metalheads of all shapes and sizes for his annunciation. You can still make out every third word on “The Center That Cannot Hold”, but he holds nothing back.
“I’ve been grey in my headspace”, he growls like his mouth is full of blood after biting clean through his tongue. “Just leave me bleeding in the dirt”. Funny enough, Alper wanted the vocals for their new single to spit out the same uncontrolled vulnerability as Slipknot’s self-titled LP. Clearly, Dorton took that inspiration to heart. When the song suddenly cuts out with a muffled thump, you might think that’s his body hitting the floor instead of the mic.
“James recorded the vocals for this song in one full take, with no stops, over and over, until we got it right” Alper says. “The next morning, he woke up shaking uncontrollably and his face was white as a sheet. He came back to life after we got some fluids into him, though for a moment, I was worried that he needed to go to the hospital”
“The Center That Cannot Hold was a bitch to make”, Alper continues. “It took us a long time to get here. There were plenty of days when I doubted whether we would ever finish this album. But I’m glad we did. It was worth it, especially when you end up with songs that are this heavy and weird”.
Praise for Replacire
“A band on their way to the top” – Angry Metal Guy
“Leave you with a smile on your face and the horns in the air” – Metal Injection
“Mixes the pummeling intensity of Dying Fetus with the proggy eccentricity of Leprous” – No Clean Singing
“Engrossing brutality and neck-breaking charm. Truly the best of both worlds” – Dead Rhetoric
