High Parasite – Forever We Burn (Album Review)

It might not be uncommon for a storied musician to embark from his day job into another project, but it is rarer to see such an endeavor be as truly collaborative, or as daring, as High Parasite. Birthed in England and releasing its debut album Forever We Burn, out on Sept. 27, 2024, on Candlelight Records, the band sees half of its vocal duties being handled by a familiar face. Aaron Stainthorpe, perpetually known as the voice and face of Doom Metal Legends My Dying Bride, helms a new group whose music was shaped by a lesser known, but no less experienced, multi-instrumentalist known cryptically as Tombs. What High Parasite has in store for us is nothing short of astounding.

With the involvement of Mr. Stainthorpe and Producer Gregor Mackintosh (Paradise Lost), one would be forgiven for thinking this new endeavor is simply Goth Rock or Goth Metal. The moment the title track kicks in, the journey ahead coalesces into something that hasn’t been done properly in a long time. Gothic Metal with gusto, Tombs’ clean vocals are offset by Stainthorpe’s brutal growl. The female vocal accompaniment of Heather Thompson-Mackintosh (known from Tapping the Vein) rounds out something that is as keen on being catchy as it is on being hard as nails.

Reminiscent of the late ’90s, and early ’00s wave of goth-infused bands like Darkseed, Evereve, and Paradise Lost themselves, “My Syndrome” also harks back to the maudlin goth period of My Dying Bride. For those who did not mind the adventurousness of that time, the song also features one of Stainthorpe’s harshest growls. This isn’t your father’s Goth Rock.

Videos were made for “Grave Intentions” and “Wasn’t Human” and this is where the chemistry and vision of High Parasite is best expressed. These are power anthems filled with longing, and they are as catchy as the flu during the first week of school. Take the best such departures of Moonspell and Tiamat, and combine them with some masterful guitar leads, and there you have it. These songs will dig into your head and stay there. “Wasn’t Human” would have been something Steele and Silver could have put on a mid ’90s Type-O Negative album – it really is that good.

By the middle of the album, High Parasite has grabbed onto the listener with both hands. They are pulling from all these influences mentioned above, but they are doing the thing musical geniuses manage to do – make new iterations of beloved sounds for fans to savor for years to come.

“Concentric Nightmares” is a bit of a curveball, in the best of ways, with its sweet guitar solo overtop a keyboard line straight out of a Halloween movie. Then suddenly, it is mosh-pit time. Stainthorpe sounds like he emerged from hell before the vocal takes on that Lacrimas Profundere / Sisters of Mercy tone. But heaviness pervades – Goth Rock usually does not have this much cojones.

The most poppy song, “Parasite,” has the cleanest, most modern sound on the album, and some may find it does not quite stand out the way the others do. On the other hand, “Let It Fall” is another highlight song, also with a video, with a singable verse that stays in the brain. Coming doom never sounded so good. Stainthorpe manages to make his death growl sound as accessible as the most dulcet singing voice. This is special.

High Parasite provides some dubbed beats here and there, increasing the gloomy nightclub feeling, but never ever loses its Heavy Metal heart. Simple, hummable melodies like on “Widowmaker,” a song you might find on a late ’90s Sentenced album, bleeds into sterling partially industrial closer “We Break, We Die” and it is clear that somehow, despite reaching out and grasping several different styles, High Parasite has synthesized them ever so beautifully, and tapped a vein of pure gold here. Do not miss this stunning debut. Cryptic Rock gives Forever We Burn 5 out of 5 stars.