For three decades now, Therapy? have asserted themselves as an untouchable marginal group. It’s a position that gives them a solid and faithful fanbase who are in love with their non-conformist spirit.

With their 15th album Cleave, the masters of alternative British metal present a collection of intelligent songs, which castigate the mind and dissect the body in a fiery exorcism. Andy Cairns, Michael McKeegan and Neil Cooper seem to have connected directly to the Devil's speakers. This is the "end of empathy" that they sing about on Kakistocracy, a metallic piece that glorifies negative feelings while reassuring their listeners with the lyrics "it's OK not to be OK." Therapy? mange to flick with ease between rabid bulldog-type compositions and more mature, conscious texts. Callow reveals real psychological struggles as well as notions of man’s duality and division. With their feet firmly anchored in a swamp of darkness, the trio never let themselves get swallowed up. Cleave oscillates back and forth between breakdowns and optimistic euphoria. They’re confident on Success? Success Is Survival before feeling downhearted again on No Sunshine; you don’t need to be a therapist to notice the bipolarity of the album. There’s only one requirement: headbanging for half an hour!

Therapy? - Callow (official promo video)

Therapy?

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