From their roots as a DIY band — Jonah Thorne started WRISTMEETRAZOR as a solo project before joining forces with vocalist & bassist Justin Fornof for his creative vision before later welcoming Bryan Prosser and Tyler Norris for their eclectic skill sets and artistry — WRISTMEETRAZOR have blossomed into a heavy and gothically romantic force to be reckoned with. The band released a couple of new singles off their upcoming, sophomore album Replica Of A Strange Love, “This Summer’s Sorrow II: Growing Old In The Waiting Place”, “Anemic (The Same Six Words)”, and “Last Tango In Paris” featuring Knocked Loose’s Isaac Hale, who produced the record, and today we’re stoked to give you the band’s first-hand track by track rundown for this amazing full length, ahead of its June 11th release on Prosthetic Records.
Illuminating the darkest corners of their every nightmare and representing a nihilistic plunge headfirst into an intoxicating mix of death, sin, and romance, Replica of a Strange Love is a modern take on metalcore – building on the foundations of their past to leave a shimmering trail of visceral energy in their wake. It is introspective, utilizing the work of Nietzsche, Foucault, LaVey, and more to make sense of human reactions and sociological phenomena specific to ongoing events. Hopeless romanticism is the past — personal philosophy is the present.
Please note: Due to a worldwide vinyl production delay, the shipping of “Replica of a Strange Love” vinyl has been delayed until mid July. All CD sales will still be shipped on time and the record will be available for streaming everywhere on June 11th. The band has released two new vinyl variants. Both are available right now and will also ship in mid July. Check it out HERE and HERE.
“Our Distress Entwined”
The record opener is a mix of the old and the new. Instrumentally, Jonah wrote most of this song in 2019 at about the same time as “Take Your Shot, Funboy”. I believe there was even a brief discussion had that we might record this one and release it along side the single for “Take Your Shot, Funboy”, but instead chose on doing our “Black Planet” Sisters of Mercy cover. Lyrically, this is one of the most explicable tracks on the record. It’s about regret and heart ache, has a little bit of a Decemberunderground era AFI twist for the vocal styling and a Gothenburg-influenced riff in the middle to round it out.
“Last Tango in Paris”
I’ve went into great length on this one in the past already, so to summarize – this one is about being nihilistic and unfeeling in response to your environment. Written in the void that was the Summer of 2020. It was supposed to have a “Looks that Kill” Motley Crue vibe, I listened to Shout At The Devil every day for a couple weeks while I was writing lyrics for this one. Instrumentally, it was the stand out during pre-pro, I think we all felt that we had something special. I asked Isaac to do guest vocals while we we’re tracking it and the rest is history.
“Sycophant”
In the same vein lyrically as “Take Your Shot, Funboy”, this track is about being disgusted by the industry side of music. The people you meet, the glad handed conversations, false promises, the crooked salesmen, it’s a little revenge fantasy after two years of futility on the road. Tyler wrote the entire instrumental to this track well before we began pre pro, it was the 2nd song written for this record.
“Nietzsche is Dead”
My favorite song on the record. I felt there was a lot unspoken in 2020 that needed to be put into context. A darkness that existed right underneath the surface of reality. “Replica of a Strange Love” has multiple tracks that tie into this much deeper philosophical theme, this is the first in a series of three tracks that all come from a particular perspective. If it’s something that you want to dig into I think all the pieces are here, there is a rabbit hole to be gone down.
“Love’s Labor’s Lost”
Tyler created the instrumental, I wrote the lyrics. In the vein of track 1, this is a more straight forward approach to traditional Wristmeetrazor lyrics. The spiritual evolution of “Come on In, The Water’s Pink” off of our first LP Misery Never Forgets.
“Anemic (The Same Six Words)”
Another one of our favorites in prepro. This one was always meant to have a bit of an Eighteen Visions meets alt metal vibe. I think it came out pretty true to that vision. Lyrically it’s about people who secretly hope for you to fail at everything you do. By allowing them to be involved in your life you’re caught in a catch 22. You either sink to their level or let them drain the life out of you. In a subtle way, the song could be seen as empowering. However, I was just very angry when I wrote the lyrics.
“Eyes of Sulfide”
When we arrived in Kentucky to pre pro tracks for the record with Issac, this was the first completed instrumental the 5 of us did together. I think this is another one that sounds familiar to our older stuff. The lyrics are a reflection of a night terror I had during the first couple months of the pandemic involving my grandmother who had just recently died. I guess this one could also be a spiritual predecessor to “Expiry Date : 12 Hours” off of Misery Never Forgets. The general theme is the same, but the dream that triggered it is completely different.
“Dies Iræ”
For all intents and purposes, this was the last instrumental written during our pre pro sessions in Kentucky. The first draft of this one was actually a fairly different sounding song, so it was reworked in the last day or two of our time out there. The lyrics on this one are all directly referencing my involvement with black magic and particularly the fallout of it. Those specifics are best saved for another time, maybe my deathbed.
“99 & 44/100”
The second song following the philosophical arc begun on “Nietzsche is Dead”. It’s composed of kabbalistic numerology, angel numbers and a Thelema inspired chorus. There is a lot to dig into here, if you choose to do so.
“A Fractured Dovetail Romance”
Another song that lyrically follows a familiar theme of love lost. Instrumentally, this is maybe our most dissonant track. I think it’s a bit of an outlier, but it feels very true to the Wristmeetrazor sound. It’s both Bryan and Tyler’s favorite track on the record.
“This Summer’s Sorrow II : Growing Old in the Waiting Place”
During a pre pro session in Kentucky, both Isaac and Tyler really liked the idea of doing a sequel to a track that was on our first EP in 2017 called “This Summer’s Sorrow”. The original was a song written instrumentally by Jonah, with vocals done by me. The sequel borrows from the general key of the original, but besides that there are few similarities. The final refrain is borrowed from the original to add familiarity, but the lyrical content is completely different. The song title references a purgatory-like Dr. Seuss location called the Waiting Place. Which is apropos because the song is about being stuck in limbo, waiting for a day that never comes. I had came up with the phrase “Growing Old in the Waiting Place” in 2018 and this felt like the perfect opportunity to utilize it.
“All the Way Alive”
The final track of the record and the conclusion of the previously discussed philosophical trilogy that exists within the album. No further comment.
