wristmeetrazor anemic video
[Photo via Wristmeetrazor]

Wristmeetrazor explore catch-22 metaphor in “Anemic (The Same Six Words)”

Metalcore four-piece Wristmeetrazor have shared the new video for “Anemic (The Same Six Words)” ahead of their upcoming album, Replica Of A Strange Love.

Premiering exclusively with Alternative Press, the raging song is an emotional commentary on how pointless it is to accept circumstances as they are. Inspired by the toxicity of modern social media, the track is a metaphor for a catch-22 situation: Whether you fight back or give in, you lose yourself either way.

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Bassist Justin Fornof‘s vocals are a testament to the sentiment behind the track. As he asks “How will I escape this?,” his gravelly voice and furious emotions highlight the severity of the situation. The instrumentals from drummer Bryan Prosser and guitarists Jonah Thorne and Tyler Norris are also key in emphasizing the track’s innovative message.

The visual for the song parallels the overall theme of Replica Of A Strange Love with a distinctly futuristic, digital feel. The album itself centers around a dystopian concept. However, the band want listeners to craft their own idea of the theme and how they relate to it when listening to the music.

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“Anemic (The Same Six Words)” is the second track from the album to be released, following “Last Tango In Paris.” For this explosive first track and video, Wristmeetrazor joined forces with Knocked Loose guitarist Isaac Hale.

“I think the coolest part about singing on ‘Tango’ is that I was there for the creation of the song itself,” Hale says. “That was a song that we were all so excited about from the very beginning. It covered new ground for the band, and we knew it had to be a single. I was asked to sing on it in the spur of the moment, but it made sense because that was our most exciting song we made together. I can’t thank them enough for involving me in the song and featuring me in the video. It’s very sick to be a part of something you’re also a fan of.”

Not only did Hale feature on “Last Tango In Paris,” but he also helped produce the track. Additionally, he worked on Replica Of A Strange Love alongside punk-rock and metal engineers Andy Nelson and From Ashes Rise’s Brad Boatright.

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Due June 11 via Prosthetic Records, Replica Of A Strange Love will follow Wristmeetrazor’s 2019 debut album, Misery Never Forgets, which featured songs such as “Loathsome” and “Insecurity Checkpoint.”

You can watch the video for “Anemic (The Same Six Words)” and also exclusively read about the inspiration behind the track from Fornof below.

What was your source of inspiration for “Anemic (The Same Six Words),” and what did you want to say with the song?

The song is an observation I’ve made over years of playing music and being involved in music scenes. It’s indicative of both human nature and the insecurity-plagued social media nightmare we routinely subject ourselves to. We are uniquely judged by peers who don’t know us, who secretly anticipate our failures. I think it’s the most relatable set of lyrics on the record.

Walk us through your thought process behind the visualization of this song.

I created a metaphor when writing the lyrics that I thought summed up the entire concept. You’re trapped at the bottom of a dark well, treading water while the level slowly fills. The longer you tread, the more leeches you attract. More and more effort is exerted to keep your head above the surface, and the closer you get to climbing out, the more blood is drained from your body. In a lot of ways, it’s a catch-22. You either escape as a shell of who you used to be or sink and become a leech.

What do you hope fans take away from not only this track but the album as a whole?

Errick Easterday created the visualizer for the track using footage previously shot for us by Cameron Nunez and combined it with a variety of effects. The rollout of the album is centered around a digital dystopia. There is a theme and a direction to it all, but—as is the case with a lot of the more cryptic elements of the record—that’s up to the listener or viewer to interpret.

The album is roughly about prescribing an emotional embodiment to a physical form. Replicas, if you will. The song is just another example of that for me. There is no exact concept followed throughout, but in a way, it upholds the spirit of a concept album.

Replica Of A Strange Love touches on topics in a dark and nihilistic way. How does this song fit that narrative within the album?

“Anemic” is a track about cognizance. It’s about the futility of acceptance and the majesty of letting go.

How have you developed and progressed as a band since your initial formation, and looking at the future, what can fans expect going forward?

Wristmeetrazor are a band that are constantly evolving. I don’t think we’ve ever recorded music that was a retread of the previous recording, and that won’t change in the future.

Replica Of A Strange Love tracklist:

1. “Our Distress Entwined”
2. “Last Tango In Paris”
3. “Sycophant”
4. “Nietzsche Is Dead”
5. “Love’s Labor’s Lost”
6. “Anemic (The Same Six Words)”
7. “Eyes Of Sulfide”
8. “Dies Irae”
9. “99 & 44/100”
10. “A Fractured Dovetail Romance”
11. “This Summer’s Sorrow II: Growing Old In The Waiting Place”
12. “All The Way Alive”