Lifesick certainly aren't the first band to meld the brutal side of the metal spectrum with hardcore, but few have done it so effectively.
Formed in Fredericia, Denmark a decade ago, the quintet have steadily built an impressive discography packed to the rafters with tasty guitar riffs in the Euro tradition, dynamic song arrangements, and lyrics with actual substance, the latter an aspect lost in much of today's heavy music.
Now signed to indie powerhouse Metal Blade Records, Lifesick recently released their fourth studio album, a superb piece of work called Loved by None, Hated by All. Like their previous albums, the sessions were produced by Jacob Bredahl, who you might know from his time in bands like HateSphere and The Kandidate.
A few days ago, I chatted with guitarist Nikolai Lund and he told me their melding of metal and hardcore has gotten in the way with some listeners, especially in their homeland. That definitely piqued my interest, so I wanted to share our conversation with No Echo's readers since I know so many of you embrace the sonic fusion. We also dug a bit into the new album, and some more Danish music-related history.
First off, before we get to the music, the title caught my attention. I was curious if Loved by None, Hated by All is a direct reference to the band or something else?
Yes, it’s a title [vocalist] Simon [Shoshan] came up with. He wanted to sum up the whole lyrical universe - most of the songs are from his darkest moments and experiences through the last few years. Struggling with mental health and depression, and also the feeling of feeling “alone” and left out by society
Left out by a system that should care or help a person with mental health, put won’t listen. So that’s the title, roughly.
Is the culture in Denmark open to people discussing mental health and struggling with issues like that? It's come around here in the States, but there's still a huge stigma from certain groups. Also, mental health is a massive problem in the insurance system here.
I would say it has become more normal and accepted. But since health care is free in Denmark it is also overbooked if you could say that, and some people might be misunderstood and not exactly getting the help or advice they need. Some people are just not fitting to normal day jobs, etc., and if you also have experienced bad situations which could lead to PTSD, it’s just tough.
I would like to say that poeple dealing with mental health should speak up about it and not feeling shame. And I would also highly advise to start a band a get out there playing shows with your friends and meeting new people - the best drug for mental health
Musically speaking, like the band's earlier material, Loved By None, Hated By All is the kind of album that both hardcore and metal audiences should be embracing. I hear elements of classic Scandi death metal in the riffing. Have you found that metalheads have discovered Lifesick in recent years? Being on Metal Blade certainly should help in that regard.
That’s true, we try to mix in these genres, since we can’t help listening to both Terror and Deicide [laughs]. I would say we “turned over” metal people in Denmark, but we’re still on a crossroad here.
I feel sometimes we can be misunderstood. I mean hardcore fans not thinking we’re “real” hardcore and metal people thinking the other way around. But hardcore is not really a big thing in Denmark, so I would say 80% of our fans here are metalheads. But yeah, Metal Blade for sure saw us as a metal band, but knew about our influences.
The funny thing is I think Lifesick would be way bigger in if we skipped the “HC” in our URL [laughs]. We have been skipped at some shows or events because we was “too hardcore” so it’s not always easy wanting to mix in these genres. But Lifesick will always have lean more towards hardcore, even though it does not always sound like it.
Do you think people put too much energy into caring about musical sub-genres?
Sometimes, in Denmark yes. I think Denmark is very closed-minded with genres. It is getting better now with festivals like Copenhell, which embraces a lot of genres.
But it’s still not really accepted to mosh at danish shows, and hardcore is just never really gotten big here. Outside Denmark, I think it’s not a problem, especially in the US it seems like they mix and embrace bands more no matter what.
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From a guitar perspective, who were your early heroes/inspirations? Again, I hear Entombed/Carnage in the riffing language but I wanted to see the trajectory for you.
Yeah, sound wise on guitar, Entombed played a big part. But also At the Gates, Bloodbath and newer bands like Black Breath - but actually Slayer is our favorite metal band and riff influence.
And like bands such as All Out War, that also kinda mixes these genres. But it’s mostly the HM-2 sound that does it. I think if we skipped that guitar sound, and took a more normal distortion sound, we wouldn’t sound different from most other metallic hardcore bands.
What would be the most celebrated hardcore bands from Denmark, in your view?
Properly us [laughs]. Not that many. But Rot Away get a decent amount of attention, besides them, I don’t really know any other active hardcore bands at the moment. There are bands in the post genre that are getting out there: Eyes, Syl, and LLNN.
It’s unfortunate there aren’t any more. But Denmark is a small country, only like 5.5 million people total.
What have been your impressions while playing here in the States?
Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to play over there yet. We still working on that. But It’s harder than you think, with visa and travel cost more than $12,000 USD. It sucks! But it is our biggest goal and we are actively seeking opportunities
Oh! I thought you had before, on a festival.
No, but it’s our goal. We're working on it daily, but not really getting attention from any festivals or agencies. Normally we book EU tours ourselves, DIY style, but the US is just so much out of my comfort zone, I cannnot navigate in booking that myself, I think. So, daily I’m reaching out to people over there.
What’s your all-time favorite Danish “heavy” album/EP?
Halshug, Sort Sind (2016):
The Kandidate, Facing the Imminent Prospect of Death (2012):
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Loved by None, Hated by All is out now via Metal Blade Records (order vinyl and CDs). Tour dates are up at this link.
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