The Body - No One Deserves Happiness

The Body
No One Deserves Happiness
2016
Spotify

The new record from The Body No One Deserves Happiness may be even bleaker than it's title lets on. On this album The Body explore modern day nihilism wrapped up in an American election that is as confusing as it is sad. Many smart people are left looking at a world that they did not expect nor understand and thus we are all thrown into an existence where we have to really examine what we believe and what exactly we are willing to do with those beliefs. Many times metal can sound, well, very metalish for no other reason than speed and aggression. It is the hallmark of the genre and playing around in that space can lead to things sounding very similar. That does not happen here. The sentiment is the same but the clanging industrial sound of The Body gives them a sound and a structure all their own. The haunting vocals swirl and spin enrapturing you while the rest of the album bangs or often descends into madness. On "For You" the sound almost becomes to much to bear as layer upon layer of screeching expands into a never ending nothingness pulling you right along with it's wake. The sound is both terrifying and interesting but never crosses the boarder into pleasing, which for this album is actually a good thing.

Even for those people who are not fully on board with metal the album may seem a bit unapproachable, but when you listen you can hear that the band is really trying to do something, and something interesting within a medium. It is like a painter only using watercolor, metal just happens to be the medium for The Body and it is one they have mastered. The sense of time on this record is also used in great ways. Their are stops and starts, false crescendos and other systematic tricks to get the exact vibe they are looking for. The album also rarely comes to a "stopping point" just letting each song spill boldly into the next and if you are not paying attention you might miss the changes. The ever present screaming which is nearly indistinguishable in terms of lyrics, seems to bind the whole record together keeping the listener constantly on edge while the female vocal lulls you in. The rage on this album somehow is understated and boils just below the surface instead of straight in your face. Where an electric guitar would be lasting us away the band now employs some electronic elements and even 808s to give their sound more of an edge than would be otherwise possible. You may find yourself terrified while listening to this record, but it is only the sentiment that is boiling beneath all of us at this current day and time. An album to reflect the underlying sentiment of a place is not often easy, but The Body have done so with extreme expertise.

8.1 out of 10