(written by Islander)
This year the Belgian metal band Reject the Sickness are celebrating their 15th year of music-making with a new album named Signs of the End that will be released worldwide on May 30th, and to help introduce it we’re premiering an official video for a multi-faceted song from the album named “Acta Non Verba.”
Over the course of that 15-year career Reject the Sickness haven’t stood still (and no one who’s heard their music would be able to stand still either). Instead, their music has evolved, along with their lineup, to the point where the new album discharges an amalgam of heavy-grooved death metal, accents of atmospheric black metal, and “a dash of metalcore.” It’s the kind of music that feeds the need for hard-charging, muscle-moving mayhem but also contributes memorable (though often dark) melody, and white-hot vocal intensity.
You’ll see what we mean when you listen to “Acta Non Verba.”
L-R: Drums: Jannick Govaert – Guitars: Zoran Van Bellegem – Vocals: Guy Vercruysse – Bass: Jonas Messiaen – Guitars: Ruben Van der Beken
If your Latin is rusty (or nearly non-existent like mine), the phrase acta non verba means “deeds, not words,” or we might say “actions speak louder than words.” Among the many aspects of human behavior that are deplorable and infuriating, that’s certainly one — to talk a good game but not to back it up with actions, and thus to reveal hypocrisy.
In line with that observation, this new song is a rager. Its intensity is turbocharged from the very beginning, as the band combine furiously boiling riffage, jackhammer grooves, and neck-cracking beats, and then shift into even greater viciousness as a prelude to vocalist Guy‘s howls and screams.
Those grooves sound hard and fast enough to bust up concrete, and the riffing, while it has some potent hooks in it, is blistering. And that’s one reason why it’s such a surprise when the band suddenly turn off the heat and allow the bass to briefly take the lead, sounding both thoughtful and a bit proggy, although the vocals, though diminished, are still harrowing.
At another point, after the band again let loose with the rhythmic jackhammers and blowtorches, there’s a further variation, with a fluidly slow-moving, eerie, and haunting guitar solo that seems emotionally in line with the tale told in the accompanying video.
Speaking of which, to present the song, Reject The Sickness teamed up with Alexander van der Wallen to create a gripping music video. As the band explain: “The clip tells the story of two girls whose fates are bound together in a world of neglect and harmful home situations. Only by standing together do they find a way to survive the madness of an abusive and neglectful home.”
And with that, loosen up your neck, get ready to have your pulse rate escalate, and press play:
The full album was recorded in Ghent, Belgium by Guy Vercruysse and Zoran Van Bellegem at the Clean and Dirty Studio. It was mixed in Sweden by Christian Svedin, who also mixed Vildhjarta‘s debut album in 2013. The mastering was done by Thomas “Plec” Johansson at The Panic Room in Sweden.
The band plans to release the album on Digipack CD, Gatefold White Vinyl, and Cassette Tape. For more info about the release as May approaches, follow Reject the Sickness via the links below.
STREAM THE SONG:
https://share.amuse.io/track/reject-the-sickness-acta-non-verba
FOLLOW REJECT THE SICKNESS:
https://linktr.ee/rejectthesickness
https://www.facebook.com/rejectthesickness/