2024 marks the birth of High Parasite and their “Death Pop”.
Formed by Aaron Stainthorpe (vocals, My Dying Bride), Sam Hill (guitar, Hellbound Hearts), Jonny Hunter (guitar, Black Falcon), Tombs (bass/vocals, Hellbound Hearts) and Dan Brown (drums), the band signs to Candlelight Records and then unveils their first album, Forever We Burn.
It features Greg Mackintosh (Paradise Lost, Strigoi, Host, ex-Vallenfyre) on guitar and keyboards, and Heather Thompson (Tapping the Vein) on backing vocals.
The album kicks off with Forever We Burn, a mysterious title that perfectly represents the concept of “Death Pop”, with its light-hearted yet dark tones. Aaron‘s voice obviously works wonders, whether in the clear or saturated passages with Heather, then the riffs become worrying again on My Syndrome, where dissonance returns in force to accompany a melancholy with a catchy groove. The slow parts never last, giving way to an Old School ferocity that creates contrast, as on Grave Intentions where growls and clean vocals mingle while leads fly freely over the rhythm. The track sounds genuinely joyful, the only traces of darkness being those aggressive vocals, but Wasn’t Human takes over to tint it with more haunting touches of marked Gothic roots, letting the guitar hypnotize us before Concentric Nightmares takes over, anchoring itself definitively in heaviness. The duality is also present on this composition, between the lively drums and the heavy guitars, but it fades slightly on Hate Springs Eternal to appear only on the choruses, keeping those keyboards bordering on Post-Punk to soothe the vocal parts. We continue with the catchy Parasite, a composition in which vocal mixes return to energize a rather jerky rhythm with obvious Industrial influences, then the band indulges in more impressive and majestic tones on Let It Fail, while keeping some interesting duet moments. The track is relatively accessible but still relies on Aaron‘s steady blazing before giving way to Widowmaker and its soothing introduction, broken by furious ranting and a rather dynamic rhythmic pattern that the band maintains throughout. The sound slows down, then joins We Break We Die and its danceable Electro atmosphere, which finally gives Heather the upper hand, giving her more prominence on the relatively tragic choruses, creating an interesting coexistence.
High Parasite asserts a strong identity on Forever We Burn. The project’s first album is rooted in a permanent duality between gentleness, catchy sounds and rawer elements, giving it a rather interesting but also very accessible rhythm.
85/100