To Be “Isolated” by The Art of Deception

January 22, 2024

2–4 minutes

AMS RADIO, deathcore, Fit For an Autopsy, Indie, Metal, Metalcore, Music, New Music, New Releases, Pennsylvania, Radio, Rock, The Art of Deception, Whitechapel

Depression is a common, yet widely misunderstood phenomenon. How it develops, the physiological effects, and treatments for it vary person to person, case by case. It’s no wonder that when our favorite artists express themselves either directly or indirectly through their own personal experiences from it, that it resonates with an audience. Moreover, that expression comes in so many shapes and forms. Pennsylvania’s The Art of Deception taps into the subject matter on their latest single, “Isolation,” and it just so happens to also melt your face with a unique blend of Metalcore and Deathcore in the process.

Indeed, when you listen to The Art of Deception, you find yourself on an audible rollercoaster given their tendency to pivot and change it up in their compositional structures. Almost like an underlying musical irony calling back to the band’s name itself (figuratively speaking that is, “The Art of Deception” is also the title a book written by Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon). The single dropped on January 12th accompanied by an official lyric video on YouTube, check it out:

The lyrics are a stark illustration of the despair and hopelessness that comes about from suffering with depression. Not only does the science of it still leave us with many questions, but the effect it has on us personally and our behaviors associated with it tend to be misconceived. The lyrical bluntness of the song is a way of speaking directly to how external factors ultimately become tortuously internalized. As quoted from the band’s press release:

“(Vocalist) Nolan confronts his struggles with depression and anxiety through this emotionally
charged track, focusing on the fear of being trapped in one’s mind and the pain of feeling
misunderstood.”

“Isolated” is the latest single to be released (the first two being “Despondency” and “Anguish”) in anticipation of the band’s upcoming EP titled, “Imminence.” I wasn’t able to find an official release date for the upcoming EP, but I speculate that it will be sometime this year in line with the announcement of plans for an upcoming U.S. tour and a show in March.

I really enjoy this band’s range of influence in Metal music. While Metalcore and Deathcore are front and center of the band’s current sound, my ear also detects some Djent seasoned in there for flavor. Even more fun, at least for folks like me, is to revisit the early work and see where their sound has evolved from. Pretty interesting stuff! Truth be told, I’m a fan of all of it. The Art of Deception is a great new-to-me discovery for this year. These guys have been at for eight years, albeit with some lineup changes along the way.

I recommend “Isolated,” as well as all the work that’s leading up to the EP for fans of Fit for an Autopsy, Brand of Sacrifice, and Zenith Passage. The band cites August Burns Red, Whitechapel, and After the Burial as sources of inspiration these days, and I would agree wholeheartedly that their band is a great recommendation for fans of those bands as well.

The Art of Deception is:
Nolan Mateer
Jared Moser
Travis Stine
Marcus Kassab

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3 responses to “To Be “Isolated” by The Art of Deception”

bonbonmonterobonbonmontero

January 22, 2024 at 1:16 pm

Good luck with your music launched! Cheers…

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EclecticMusicLover

January 24, 2024 at 6:18 pm

Though not my favorite genre by any means, I have learned to appreciate deathcore & djent music, and believe it or not, have even reviewed several few artists & bands making that music, though none recently. I’ve learned there’s an art and special talent to being able to sing in that guttural manner, which helped open my ears and mind. That said, my only criticism of that style of singing is that it’s nearly impossible to understand the lyrics, which most of the time are really quite intelligent and compelling.

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Audio Mirage Studios

January 24, 2024 at 7:39 pm

Totally hear you on that Jeff. Many sub-genres of Metal are an acquired taste. A personal story from me, I lived in an abusive household under my father for a period of time where we weren’t allowed to listen to anything but what he thought was “real” music. My mom used to listen to the Beatles with me and my brother “in secret” when he wasn’t around. He was a bigot and impressed upon me as a young person that the only music that existed was old country western. That’s when music was “good” and everything since then was (blank) word music. I went to a terribly underfunded poor school in grade school, so my entire perspective of what existed in music until I went to middle school was that stuff like Merle Haggard existed in the good old days when things were proper, and then all of a sudden everything turned into Dr. Dre gangsta rap. When I discovered “alternative” music in middle school, needless to say it was formative and changed everything I thought I understood. It went on and on from there, discovering different avenues of Metal music throughout my life was a super cathartic experience. However, I wholeheartedly agree, the first time I remember hearing Death Metal, Deicide it was, I thought the same exact things. I still don’t know a lot of lyrics at first listen, although I’ve developed a better ear for it over the years. I’m still usually digging to find them so I can read along while listening. One of my favorite things to do in all genres honestly. I think what paved the way into appreciating the more extreme sub-genres for me was through playing guitar. Every kid that picks up a guitar at some point is going to attempt to play a Metallica riff and it kind of goes from there.

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