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Rat Wars
A grainy image of striped lines crossed over each other, with the album title at the top and the track listing beside it.
Studio album by
Health
ReleasedDecember 7, 2023 (2023-12-07)
Genre
Length41:32
LabelLoma Vista
ProducerStint
Health chronology
Disco4: Part II
(2022) 		Rat Wars
(2023)
Singles from Rat Wars
  1. "Hateful"
    Released: April 27, 2023
  2. "Children of Sorrow"
    Released: October 5, 2023
  3. "Sicko"
    Released: October 5, 2023
  4. "Ashamed"
    Released: October 23, 2023
  5. "Unloved"
    Released: November 16, 2023
  6. "Demigods"
    Released: November 23, 2023

Rat Wars is the sixth studio album by American noise rock band Health, released on December 7, 2023, through Loma Vista Recordings. It was produced by Stint and received positive reviews from critics.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY[2]
Kerrang!4/5[3]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[4]
Sputnikmusic4.9/5[5]
Uncut5/10[6]

Rat Wars received a score of 73 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[1] Olly Thomas of Kerrang! felt that the band "conjure their most effective rendering yet of their distinct aesthetic, a slick night drive through rainy neon-lit streets in search of answers to existential crises".[3] Sputnikmusic's Simon K. called it "a record that's more cinematic, darker, louder, heavier and harder than anything we've heard from them before today", likening the experience of listening to the album on headphones to being "in a confined space with the band lobbing grenades into it".[5] Reviewing the album for The Line of Best Fit, Jack Bray described it as "an album for every conceivable type of Health enjoyer" and found that its "amalgamation of sound" results in "Health arriv[ing] with their most scathing and sombre record yet".[4]

DIY's James Smurthwaite felt that the album "can wash past with as much staying power as candyfloss in a puddle" but its highlights "are reminders of Health at their vibrant and varied best, something that Rat Wars fails to consistently capture".[2] Uncut wrote that while "the music is decent enough", "the problem is Jake Duszik's vocals, which are soft and blank of affect in a way that is oddly characterless. It leaves Rat Wars feeling, if not completely without merit, a bit of an empty vessel".[6]

Track listing[edit]

Rat Wars track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Demigods"
5:41
2."Future of Hell"
  • Duzsik
  • Famiglietti
  • Bhattacharyya
  • Nexy
2:32
3."Hateful" (featuring Sierra)
  • Duzsik
  • Famiglietti
  • Bhattacharyya
  • Sierra
4:08
4."(Of All Else)"
  • Duzsik
  • Famiglietti
  • Bhattacharyya
  • Sierra
2:30
5."Crack Metal"
  • Duzsik
  • Famiglietti
  • Bhattacharyya
  • Alex Norman
3:10
6."Unloved"
  • Duzsik
  • Famiglietti
  • Bhattacharyya
3:16
7."Children of Sorrow"
3:20
8."Sicko" (featuring Godflesh)
2:21
9."Ashamed"
  • Duzsik
  • Famiglietti
  • Bhattacharyya
3:01
10."(Of Being Born)"
  • Duzsik
  • Famiglietti
  • Bhattacharyya
1:56
11."DSM-V"
  • Duzsik
  • Famiglietti
  • Bhattacharyya
  • Swarm
4:23
12."Don't Try"
  • Duzsik
  • Famiglietti
  • Bhattacharyya
5:14
Total length:41:32

Sample credits

  • "Sicko" contains samples of "Like Rats" by Godflesh.

Personnel[edit]

Health

  • Jake Duzsik – vocals (all tracks), guitar (1, 4, 7, 10–12), synthesizer (1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12), keyboards (3), bass guitar (12)
  • John Famiglietti – programming (all tracks), synthesizer (1–6, 8–10, 12), bass guitar (1, 3, 4, 7), guitar (3)
  • Benjamin Miller – drums (tracks 1, 3–7, 11)

Additional musicians

  • Ajay Bhattacharyya – drums, programming (tracks 1–9, 11, 12); guitar (1, 5, 8), synthesizer (2, 5–7, 9, 11, 12), bass guitar (5), keyboards (12)
  • Leo Ashline – background vocals (tracks 1, 3, 9)
  • Brandon Carroll – synthesizer (track 1), guitar (7, 11), bass guitar (11)
  • Swarm – guitar, synthesizer (tracks 1, 7, 11)
  • Tyler Bates – guitar (track 1)
  • Sara Taylor – background vocals (tracks 2, 5)
  • Nexy – programming, synthesizer (track 2)
  • Sierra – programming, synthesizer (tracks 3, 4)
  • Brutei – bass guitar (track 5)
  • Willie Adler – guitar (track 7)
  • G. C. Green – bass guitar (track 8) (sampled)
  • Justin Broadrick – guitar, vocals (track 8) (sampled)

Technical

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Rat Wars
Chart (2023–2024) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[7] 39
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[8] 34
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[9] 4

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Rat Wars by Health Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Smurthwaite, James (December 6, 2023). "Health – Rat Wars review". DIY. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Thomas, Olly (December 4, 2023). "Album review: Health – Rat Wars". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Bray, Jack (December 6, 2023). "Health: Rat Wars Review – nuclear catharsis". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  5. ^ a b K., Simon (December 6, 2023). "Review: Health – Rat Wars". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Health – Rat Wars". Uncut. December 2023. p. 29.
  7. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
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