12th March 2022

Review: “A Falsehood Defined” by The Dialectic

It was a sorry state of affairs when Tyler Texas Deathcore heat bringers The Dialectic were forced to call time on their illustrious career in February 2020 with a painful video from vocalist Mitch Howie explaining how after a decade of aggression line up changes had taken their toll but just as swift as their exit was sudden, their resurrection has been nothing short of incredible. May 2021 saw them officially announcing that the Howie joined by Josh McGuire (Lead Guitar), Jadee Stevens (Rhythm Guitar), Bobby Edwards (Bass Guitar) and Daniel Jones (Drums) followed by the quintet dropping a new single titled “Where Gods Tread Not” in the June with a music video directed by Eric DiCarlo of Square Up Studios known for his work with Bodysnatcher. They then announced this very EP “A Falsehood Defined” featuring the previously released singles “The World That Hell Built” and “The Cold Ones” remastered as new material before their first show back in September 2021 saw then on the undercard of headliners Soulfly. November saw the news that the band had signed to Seek & Strike Records, the label home of Upon A Burning Body, Exist Immortal and Orbit Culture to name but a few accompanied by another new single in “Deadlands“. So the time is finally upon us…

Fans of the band will already know that vocalist Mitch Howie has for a long time been the last man standing in The Dialectic with a revolving door of musicians playing their part in the bands career thus far. To that end “A Falsehood Defined” is a rebirth for the band with an entirely new line up with Howie the only member of the band still standing from their 2019 EP “Agony Anthem“. The new record finds a new writing partnership at the bands beating black heart with lead guitarist McGuire joining Howie in that department and with his background in Melodic Death Metal and Thrash combining with the the previous darkness of Deathcore and Death Metal, this new music represents a bold new direction for the outfit. Introduction piece “Doom Foretold” opens the floor as the conjoined twin of “Where Gods Tread Not” and finds us in Melodic Deathcore territory with an onslaught that combines the bounce and incendiary energy of Deathcore with vibrant lead melodies of Melodic Death Metal dancing over the crunch of the breakdown riffage. Jones then lets fly with some blast beats that underpin a sublime solo from McGuire before the cut back for the “Bleigh!” from Howie perfectly weighted. The rampaging “Deadlands” finds the band in razor sharp form, decimating the weak with Howie’s demonic vocals as venomous as they always have been, the fire in his heart clearly knowing no end as the driving force behind this band and those unrelenting leads are nothing short of a sublime, fretboard smoking addition. The jack hammer footwork of “The World That Hell Built” drives the nails into the coffin with immense quality but its the leads that are stunning as McGuire continues to bring an extra quality to the proceedings and build on the powerhouse grooves and staccato riff breaks to elevate the band to a whole new level.

To put in bluntly, they were a darkness dwelling beast in their last incarnation, now they they have arisen from the black depths baring teeth. Resistance is futile. What is clever about that is that none of the brutality of old has been lost and listening to Howie and McGuire talk in recent interviews, the song writing chemistry between them is something special. Howie is full of ideas for percussive parts and pushes McGuire out of his comfort zone in the best possible way and the results speak for themselves. Charging out of the gates of hell with rapid fire energy and breakdowns piled upon breakdowns galore “The Cold Ones” is a stone cold crusher that sees Jones reach almost inhuman levels of skill and speed behind the kit, combining Black and Death Metal stylings to create something immense as Howie reaches bowel clenching new lows with his gravely vocals. The title track finds us at the outer reaches of the solar system with spine crushingly satisfying groove laden riffage that slaps so hard it leaves you wondering what day of the week it is, a monstrous cut in every sense of the word. The Dialectic aren’t just returning, refreshed and renewed but bigger, better and more powerful than ever [9/10]

Track listing