VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR

HEALTH - VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR
Critic Score
Based on 14 reviews
2019 Ratings: #471 / 805
User Score
Based on 277 ratings
2019 Rank: #699
Liked by 24 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

96
Sputnikmusic

There’s literally not a dull moment to be found here, every track is lean and expertly written, averting a moment’s hesitation and keeping you in it from start to finish. Vol. 4 :: Slaves of Fear is a career-defining achievement that proves patience and planning can hold rewards.

90
Metal Injection

On their newest album, Vol. 4 :: Slaves of Fear, this amalgamation also results in HEALTH's most ominous, brooding, and diverse effort yet—and consequently their best.

80
Drowned in Sound

Slaves of Fear isn’t perfect, but then I’m not sure it’s trying to be. It’s all over the place, but is also strangely connected. It’s good, just leave me alone now - I need a lie down.

80
AllMusic

Sometimes, Vol. 4 :: Slaves of Fear feels almost too successful at what it sets out to do, but as bleak as it gets, there's something special about its empathy and honesty.

80
DIY
Forever the outlier, the relentless experimentation of HEALTH, and the absolute resistance to the conventional always seemed to leave the trio way off the map. Today though, as the world itself shifts violently to stranger, darker positions, it makes sense to have HEALTH as a landmark.
80
The Line of Best Fit
It’s a heavy record for heavy times, but another intriguing example of what the trio can achieve, even when they’re burdened with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
80
The Skinny
The lyrical paranoia dovetails beautifully with the raw, bone-scraping arrangements to powerful effect, challenging listeners in both intensity and message. It feels like the record HEALTH were supposed to make.
80
Northern Transmissions
With genres and pigeonholes left smouldering in their wake HEALTH are very much in a league of their own.
75
Spectrum Culture

With each album, edition of DISCO or video game soundtrack, they improve on their own formula, becoming a more cunning machine. Not bad for a band that started in such a primal state.

70
Exclaim!
The grimness of the lyrics works, and for fans of HEALTH and their style this is a worthwhile listen.
70
Crack Magazine

We might not be living in the futuristic world we were once promised just yet, but we can still rely on HEALTH to push music out of its present-day comfort zone.

60
NME

The endless sense of melodrama robs the record of its potency, the impact of that pounding sonic template diminished through its constancy. The sense of doom is familiar, the sound of the band’s new record even more so.

50
Loud and Quiet
‘Vol 4.’ is not without its own brand of death magic, but with such a potent past to their name, the band have failed to sustain what once set them apart.
34
Pitchfork

HEALTH used to make lithe, multifaceted songs that wrapped daring pop melodies in bristling noise; now, they seem content to complain into a murky hybrid of trip-hop and metal.

PixieVT
88

I truly love Health’s more Industrial Pop musical ventures. And I believe VOL. 4: SLAVES OF FEAR to be the epitome of this specific production style in Health’s album catalogue. It’s instrumentals are loud and abrasive, yet these elements don’t sacrifice catchiness and memorability at all. The music within this album is extremely catchy, it sticks with the listener and leaves you wanting for more; it’s perfect musical Ear Candy!

These instrumentals hit very hard, ... read more

zachthesnack
57

THIS RECORD FUCKING BANGS

Get ready to have your eardrums annihilated nonstop for 40 minutes by the noise/trap banger. This thing is front to back amazing. Filled to the brim with high octane, experimental tracks that absolutely had me floored!

HOLY FUCK, MAN

Favs: PSYCHONAUT, BLACK STATIC, RAT WARS, SLAVES OF FEAR, FEEL NOTHING

Least Fav: NC-17

DiceBloke
83

Enjoyable music for raising an army of the dead

Hayden7575
60

HEALTH brings their metal sounds back to the forefront on ‘VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR,’ without fully abandoning the electronic flourishes that help set them apart. This leads to solid, approachable bangers like “FEEL NOTHING” and “THE MESSAGE,” but also to the sanitized industrial sounds of “LOSS DELUXE.” They’re better utilized within the brooding atmosphere of “DECIMATION,” or when embracing the intensity of “GOD ... read more

CheerCthere
74

Psychonaut- 7
Feel Nothing- 8
God Botherer- 8
Black Static- 7
Loss Deluxe- 7
NC-17- 7
The Message- 8
Rat Wars- 7
Strange Days (1999)- 7
Wrong Bag- 6
Slaves of Fear- 8
Decimation- 8

DiceBloke
83

Enjoyable music for raising an army of the dead

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Added on: December 6, 2018