Review Summary: We All Die (Laughing) rise from the ashes.
We All Die (Laughing) is a new entity from multi-instrumentalist DĂ©hĂ* (Maladie, C.O.A.G. etc) and Arno Strobl (6:33, Carnival In Coal) culminating into a world of depressive, soul-stretching doom inspired dark metal. Kaotoxin Records have been on a roll lately; Eye Of Solitude, Sidious, Nephren-Ka, Ad Patres – the list goes on. For the last couple of years this humble little record label have backed some of extreme metal’s better releases without losing sight of each project’s goal. In return, each group and artist is able to create, freely, what they perceive as their audio art. As Kaotoxin enter the New Year they unleash a new project backed by an immensely talented duo encapsulating the refined minimalistic sounds of doom and post rock while intertwining dark metal, slight grind to create something not-quite-unique but incredibly interesting all the same.
Despite having a background as diverse in the extreme metal industry, We All Die (Laughing) is actually quite sedate. As a result,
Thoughtscanning is incredibly accessible for fans across the board. Touching on smooth psychedelics, post rock, both minimalistic and crushing doom metal this single-tracked album carries the listener through waves of confusion, wonder and grief, giving life to this thirty-three minute opus. Having thirty-three minutes of unbroken music may seem daunting at first, but as the music progresses the track length becomes a mere afterthought allowing this dynamic metal duo to fully render
Thoughtscanning into a single tracked monolith that sees the album expand into itself. Subtle flaws emerge as genres mesh; at times the effect can be ultimately jarring when crossing over rather than the smooth concaves that they are meant to form seamlessly.
Overall, it’s hard to imagine the likes of DĂ©hĂ* simply slipping away from metal quietly and despite tinkering with genres outside of traditional or extreme metal, the roots of the band’s sound stand firm. We All Die (Laughing) sees its debut launch, accessible and suitable for fans of the members’ other acts. As a whole,
Thoughtscanning sounds like it’s still testing the waters, with room to develop or mature. For We All Die (Laughing) it’s an excellent entry, marking the start of the year for this label a promising one.
