Review Summary: And the dead sing in unison, a harmony radiating with life.
Maybe the afterlife isn’t at all what we think it’s like. Though some look for a stairway of gold to lead them safely to the clouds, there are also people who speculate that ghosts roam the world of the living. They say that they wander around our world, searching to fulfill their meaning that they failed to accomplish when they were alive. Searching eternally for a way to rest in peace is a hell of its own and it is a scary subject to wrap your head around when you think about it. But what would a ghost sound like? My imagination pictures the malicious wailing of a banshee amidst the reapers chilling violin. There would be no signs of stopping and hell would feel closer than ever before. However, Have a Nice Life provide a different theory to what the dead sound like, they show that there is beauty in the beast.
The bitter emotion displayed in The Unnatural World is haunting, yet cherubic in its presentation. Between the swirling brew of malevolence and fear of “Defenestration Song” and the dead landscape of “Burial Society”, it’s evident that the main focal point of the album is centered on the atmosphere. The spine chilling drones and drums complement each other, forming a surrounding environment for the vocals to wreak havoc. The chaos seems to never end and the listener is left gasping for air at each tortured scream and fractured vocal melody. They echo on top of the instruments and are some of the most wretched melodies ever put to music. But even when the dark swallows the exit, light still shines among the graves. “Music will Unntune the Sky” sounds hellish at first, but given some time and the sound evolves into a barrage of long lasting voices. They all combine together to form a single, yet layered voice that soars with beauty. It resembles the dead’s aching hope. Our aching hope.
The restless wake of the undead pursues, dancing among grassy knolls throughout the whole experience. You’re left to watch and feel their agony. Every distinctive movement is imprinted in your mind and their voices are left howling in your ears for eternity. But during the grand finale “Emptiness will Eat the Witch” everything stands still. Time ceases to exist and the undead hum a solemn melody. A wretched violin joins the skeleton crew and everything escalates in unison, just to die slowly in the void. A guitar begins to resonate, playing slow riffs while the emptiness is filled with sound. Until being cut off in an instant. The album goes out on a perpetuating note, one that is stringed along until the very end.
Have a Nice Life have found a light in the darkness. Streaming together concise harmonies and melodies that go sublime together. Even the disturbing aspects of the album are followed up by heavy emotion. The instruments give off a hellish oasis, creating a land where the dead sing until sunrise scares them away. In a way, the band pulls off the malevolence with the help of beauty and joy. Journey into the land of The Unnatural World and see for yourselves what demos lurk around every corner.
