“A plethora of humongous, technical riffs, slamming, slithering drums, noodling, prog-inflected lead melodies, and vicious, guttural vocals which occasionally transform into a soulful, enigmatic croon when you least expect it” — that was a top-level description of the music on Boston-based Replacire’s new album, Do Not Deviate, written by my comrade Andy Synn in his review. He didn’t stop there, of course, because the album is so intricately plotted, so idiosyncratic in its interweaving of metallic musical styles, and so focused and razor-sharp in its execution that fairly summing it up in a few words is a task doomed to failure.
And while I do intend to repeat and paraphrase more from our review by way of introduction, and to share some perspectives from the band’s guitarist Eric Alper, the main point of this post is to bring you a full stream of the album so you can form your own impressions in advance of its March 17 release by Season of Mist.
Photo by Tom Couture
So much happens in the songs on this album that Replacire would have been forgiven if they had added extra minutes to each track, milking each twist and turn for all they’re worth, but the fact that they didn’t is itself part of what makes the album so compelling — the song-writing is focused and intense, and it shines all the more brightly for that. As Andy wrote:
“Replacire never seem to give in to self-indulgence. Every riff, every vocal, every dissonant, deathly hook, exists for a reason, sharpened to perfection and perfectly placed for maximum impact…. [T]here’s nary a moment of wasted space or misspent energy on any of these eleven tracks, with Alper and co. keeping things short, sharp, and brutally concise, almost to a fault…. [E]very single track feels absolutely stuffed to the gills –- yet never over-stuffed –- with a twisted tangle of ear-punishing riffs, barbed hooks, and complex, progressive twists. Quite how the Boston-based bruisers manage to pack so much into such a short space of time is something of a mystery.”
This didn’t happen by accident, of course. As Eric Alper explains:
“Every note on this record was scrutinized for intent and purpose. This resulted in shorter, heavier songs, but they still retain the density that heavy music fans can appreciate over multiple listens. We would devote entire weeks to writing/arranging. Some songs came together after a couple hours, some took days on end before they were complete. Several songs never made it to the record despite several re-writes. We ended up with an intense record; a weird, cerebral, and crushing metal album that hopefully people will latch onto.”
And although musicians aren’t always able to maintain objectivity about music they’ve become close to during the songwriting and recording process, Alper is exactly right: This is an intense record — a weird, cerebral, and crushing metal album, and one it’s very easy to latch on to. Discover that for yourselves through our premiere stream below. Here’s the track list:
1. Horsestance
2. Act, Re-enact
3. Built Upon the Grave of He Who Bends
4. Any Promise
5. Cold Repeater
6. Reprise
7. Moonbred Chains
8. Do Not Deviate
9. Spider Song
10. Traveling Through Abyss
11. Enough for One
Do Not Deviate will be released by Season of Mist on March 17th. To pre-order the album, go here:
http://smarturl.it/ReplacireShop
And if you’re within reach of one of these cities in April, you can catch Replacire on stage:
REPLACIRE tour dates
Apr. 1 – Boston MA – Obriens
Apr. 2 – Greenfield MA – The Arts Block
Apr. 3 – Providence RI – Dusk
Apr. 4 – New Haven CT – Pacific Standard Tavern
Apr. 5 – Philadelphia PA – Kung Fu Necktie
Apr. 6 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
Apr. 7 – Greensboro, NC – NY Pizza
Apr. 8 – Greenville SC – The Radio Room
Apr. 9 – Richmond VA – 25 Watt
Apr. 10 – Brooklyn NY – St. Vitus Bar
Replacire on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Replacire