UMUR
"Unhealthy Mechanisms" is the second full-length studio album by US/Brazilian metal act Go Ahead And Die. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in October 2023. It´s the successor to the eponymously titled debut album from 2021. There´s been one lineup change since the first album as drummer Zach Coleman has been replaced by Johnny Valles (Ensepulcher, Goreshack, Healing Magic...etc.). Still featured from the trio lineup who recorded the debut album are vocalist/guitarist Max Cavalera and his son Igor Amadeus Cavalera on vocals, guitar, and bass.
Stylistically Go Ahead And Die continue the hybrid thrash, hardcore, and occassionally death metal and grindcore style of the first album. Father and son compliment each other on the vocals, with junior delivering slighly more snarling aggressive vocals while Max Cavalera delivers his usual distinct sounding raw shouting vocals. The band are well playing and there´s an organic savage energy featured on the album, which provides the material with the right amount of raw authenticity. This is an angry album with every inch of possible aggression worn on the surface. So subtlety is not a word you can use to describe the content of "Unhealthy Mechanisms".
While the primal energy and savage rawness of the delivery bring the album far, the album doesn´t feature the most memorable songwriting and considering that the novelty factor of the debut album has now more or less worn of (father and son playing together and father being a very prolific musician), Go Ahead And Die now come off a little more like a standard quality act than the greater potential group hinted at on the debut album. It´s still a good quality release featuring effective songwriting (could have been more memorable but still kicks ass), a raw and powerful sounding production job, and strong musicianship. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.