Review Summary: YOUWILLLOVETHISALBUM
It's been almost six years since HEALTH released their second full length album, GET COLOR. Since then they've released several peripheral projects, including a second remix album, various singles, and most notably, the superb soundtrack for Rockstar Games Max Payne 3. There has been a prominent sonic shift in these intervening years, as the abrasive production and tribal noise-rock freakouts of early HEALTH have become more refined and seamlessly integrated into increasingly pop-oriented structures. DEATH MAGIC is the culmination of this evolution: an expertly crafted record that is arguably the bands best work.
The emphasized pop-sensibility evident in their post GET COLOR output might put off die hard fans of the bands first two records, and understandably so, but the noise elements that defined HEALTH's early work aren't completely absent, they're just used more strategically. Look no further than the blistering MEN TODAY or static-washed COURTSHIP II if you think they've lost their penchant for abrasion. The balance has definitely shifted towards melody and away from noise, but those elements are still integral to the bands sound, generating the contrast that makes HEALTH so compelling.
Similarly contrasting with this more streamlined sound, DEATH MAGIC's lyrical themes are the most cutting and bitter in their catalog. Even the songs that are closest to being radio-friendly (LIFE, L.A. LOOKS, FLESHWORLD) contain nihilistic lyrics that, when delivered in Jake Duzsik's beautifully melancholic croon, contrast wonderfully with the danceable instrumentals. The lyrics generally convey a sense of numb resignation; it seems improbable that lyrics like “You'll learn to love to hurt yourself” or “We die. So what?” could be such effective earworms, but somehow HEALTH make it work. It was a long wait for DEATH MAGIC, but if it takes HEALTH another six years to craft a record of this meticulous quality, it will be worth it.
