“Sometimes I hate myself.“
Saving Vice’s latest release, Dichotomy, is aptly named, a short but sweet exploration of polarising sides of the band’s sound; the former an unapologetically heavy track which oozes anger and the latter a melodic, introspective cut with various hip-hop and trap metal stylings. Emotion bubbles up from both tracks, tackling societal themes that will resonate with a modern generation of metal fans. Namely, single “Culling Kindness” recounts the difficulties of taking the high road when confronted with bullying and the inevitable breaking point at which one must take a stand.
Chuggy, vicious, and pummelling, “Culling Kindness” is everything you could want from Saving Vice on the heavy front. The limited cleans conserved to a lonely verse in the second half make them pop far more than usual, and both vocalists put on a fantastic exhibition across the track. Soaring and magnetic cleans fans are accustomed to, with a healthy dose of unexpected high screams that make the EP’s mangled artwork make sense. Any doubts that Saving Vice are trending softer following the release of “White Rabbit”, their most accessible track to date, earlier in the year are firmly put to bed. The fingerprints of producers Justin DeBlieck and Steve Sopchak are all over, giving it a dark and theatrical edge.
“You’ll never know, never know what it’s like
Watching your back, watching the exits for the threats in your mind.
I chose not to fight; it followed my horror.
I’m not defending their intentions metastasized.
There won’t be a next time.
Taking every ounce of self-control to keep you alive.”
“I, Dysmorphia”, as the title would imply, centres around insecurity and hating one’s appearance, to the degree that you can never accept your own beauty. Likewise, it’s a song of very polarising sections, as if a manifestation of this self-doubt. The trap flow that dominates the first third is not something I am particularly enamoured with, but it is undoubtedly executed well. The hypnotic backing of keys and 808s, when allowed to come to the fore, distinguish the track from the other melodic songs of Saving Vice’s discography, as does the breakdown. When it gets heavy, “I, Dysmorphia” hits — frenetic double kicks, insane uncleans, rapid chugs; all of which keep it cohesive with “Culling Kindness” despite their very different takes on the genre. That said, a big part of one’s reception to the song as a whole will be the classic Saving Vice clean chorus, something missing — to its credit — from the opener.
“You can see that I’m vain, and I put it on display
in the mirror like a window to hell. Sometimes I hate myself.
Replace my face, just put on the shelf,
where at least I could be loved by anyone else but me.”
There’s not a lot left to say other than that these are two very strong tracks, both with their own draws. “I, Dysmorphia” is the more complete track, but it is hard to argue with the unrelenting aggression of the opener. Two very dichotomous tracks which together form a concise and enthralling listen. It’s hard to rate an EP of this little runtime as one does an album, but both tracks are incredibly engaging and diverse, with the latter blending genres in a fashion they have not attempted before — even if the incorporation fell a little flat for me personally. Dichotomy raises more questions than answers as to which direction the Vermont outfit are going, so hopefully we see its follow-up sooner rather than later.
Dichotomy will be available this Friday, October 7th, and you can pre-order it here.
7/10