The idea behind Replacire’s new album was simple. Write some straight-ahead chuggers to feed the mosh pit the next time these tech-death brainiacs went on tour.
It wasn’t so easy. But despite countless Zoom calls, bouts with sleep paralysis and one near trip to the hospital, the Boston band sound stronger than ever on The Center That Cannot Hold.
The Center That Cannot Hold comes out tomorrow, Friday, June 20 on Season of Mist. But you can run through all 11 brain-busting tech-death workouts today thanks to No Clean Singing, who are premiering the full album stream.
Listen to The Center That Cannot Hold
AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): REPLACIRE — “THE CENTER THAT CANNOT HOLD”
Pre-order and 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 feeling weighed down by the world.
“The pandemic was hard on us”, Alper says. “We were all set to hit my studio together in March of 2020. But after the pandemic shut everything down, I had to sell our tour van and give up our rehearsal space just to keep my head above water”.
The mounting stress would’ve left a lesser band bloody-tongued and screaming. “All hope lies crimson on the hill / sinking”, groans mighty vocalist James Dorton on the album’s dissonant and demolishing opener. “Living Hell” was inspired by a nasty spell of sleep paralysis that Dorton suffered after witnessing a traumatic event. Alper was battling his own bouts with anxiety and depression,that were brought on by a nagging case of writer’s block. The opening frenzy of “The Helix Unravels” has been hammering through his skull since 2017.
“There were days when all I could do was lay on the couch and hum a half-finished riff”, he says.
But despite this perfect shit storm, Replacire banged their heads together and pulled through on The Center That Cannot Hold. Poh Hock twists and turns those unfinished sections on “The Helix Unravels” into a tight, three-minute burst that works all of tech-death’s core muscles: glitching fret bends, jazzy interludes and downpicked chugs that could break even the thickest of necks. It’s the band’s rhythm section though that takes the reins on the title track. Joey Feretti starts off fully aslant with harsh syncopated drum thwacks, only for bassist Zak Baskin to dunk the song’s middle passage into a trippy breakdown.
Of course, Dorton is no slouch either. “James recorded vocals for the title track in one full take, with no stops, over and over, until we got it right”, says Alper, who was looking for his mighty vocalist 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.
“The next morning, he woke up shaking uncontrollably and his face was white as a sheet” Alper remembers. “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”
Thankfully, Replacire are seasoned pros. Hock, Ferretti and Baskin are also Berklee graduates and Dorton was the vocalist for Black Crown Initiate before he filled in on tour for Ne Obliviscaris. “I am your lord god”, he roars on “A Fine Manipulation”, as if throwing the weight of the world off his shoulders, before the rest of the band launches into the album’s most muscular breakdown.
“We poured all of our blood, sweat and tears into The Center That Cannot Hold“, Alper says. “It took years off my life. There were plenty of days where I wanted to quit. But I’m glad we didn’t, because this is our best album. Everything from the overall production down to the lead guitar parts took a step up. The tone is more serious. The songs are still techy, but they’re also a lot heavier. I’m proud of us”.
Early praise for The Center That Cannot Hold
“This is tech death via the impersonal beating of Meshuggah at their harshest, or Norma Jean’s utterly punishing classic Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child, or maybe The Dillinger Escape Plan’s legendary first album Calculating Infinity. It’s the sort of album I haven’t heart for years, one that’s both unconventional and well-crafted, making for music that’s impenetrable yet addictive nonetheless.” – Wonderbox Metal
“A majorly intense album that could turn on a dime, roar up like a mountain lion, or retreat with the skill of a mongoose” – Metal Temple (8/10)
“These guys are the real deal of tech” – The Progressive Subway
