Genre : Mathcore
Released : September 2nd, 2022
Label : MNRK Heavy
FFO : The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Black Matter Device
Although only being a fairly recent band (with their first official releases tracing back to 2017), The Callous Daoboys amassed a significant amount of notoriety at a rapid pace within the ever-flourishing mathcore scene ever since their inception.
Their name recurrently surfaces whenever the search for a spiritual successor to the genre-defining, now defunct pioneers that were The Dillinger Escape Plan ever arises in conversation. And upon listening to their sophomore album "Celebrity Therapist", it doesn't take long to figure out why that is.
The chaotic franticness is there, along with the skillfull musicianship and the seemingly boundless creativity along with the will to blur and blend as many ideas that should normally have nothing to share in common within one single piece of constantly shape-shifting mathcore.
And yet, in between the staple spasmodic, time signature-juggling dissonant riffage fronted by the erratic harsh vocals of Carson Pace who could almost pass off as Puciato himself in his most intense moments and the shrieks of electric violins that waltz their way into the chaos; there also exists moments of serenity, orchestral grandeur and even, a reliable sense of catchiness with a pop sensibility to be found within every track, whether it is a chorus or a single memorable bridge or line that leaves a lasting impression upon the listener's brain.
I think that has to be one of the band's biggest strengths when it comes to their songwriting : they know how to be batshit insane and zany, pummeling you with relentless sonic assault but also knowing when to wait for the right moment to pull the rug from under your feet and hit you with a massive vocal hook you'll soon find yourself singing along to; take that massive sounding clean singing section in "What is delicious? Who swarms?" which has to be one of my favourite moments of the album, or the unexpectedly emotional finale to the album's closing track "Star Baby" which greatly contrasts with the explosiveness of album opener "Violent Astrology".
There's so much going on in just over half an hour of run-time, whether it's the various clever stylistical switch-ups or the many layers of guitar, synth, strings and even brass sometimes.
"Celebrity Therapist" is definetly a handful of an album to process which makes every repeat listen more rewarding than the last.
The only small tooth I'd have to pick is that most of the conspiracy theory references which shape the core lyrical thematic of this record along with the band's inside jokes completely fly over my head and make it tough to attach emotion or meaning to the words shaping the music's identity which is something I tend to value a lot whenever I listen to music.
However, in spite of that purely subjective downside, "Celebrity Therapist" is undoubtably one of the most creative mathcore releases this year and contributes to the sub-genre's ongoing relevance and healthiness, and it also sees The Callous Daoboys successfully reaching ambitious heights so early on in their career in an album that makes them sound bigger and more unpredictable than ever.
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