photos by Kristel Boucher
The Montreal death/thrash trio explores a technology-dominated city on the latest track from Artifice Dissolves, arriving October 2 via 20 Buck Spin.
Montreal death/thrash trio Dissimulator are offering another look into their forthcoming second album, Artifice Dissolves, with the single “Neon Metropolis.”
The album is scheduled for release October 2 through 20 Buck Spin on LP, CD and digital platforms. It follows the band’s debut album, Lower Form Resistance, while continuing Dissimulator’s combination of technical death and thrash metal with science-fiction concepts.
Dissimulator consists of drummer Phillipe Boucher, guitarist and vocalist Claude Leduc and bassist Antoine Daigneault. The musicians’ collective backgrounds include connections to Chthe’ilist, Atramentus, Beyond Creation and Incandescence.
“Neon Metropolis” places the album’s technological themes within an imagined autonomous city, drawing inspiration from Leduc’s experiences walking through Montreal at night. Rather than presenting technology simply as futuristic scenery, the song examines what happens when efficiency and technological development begin determining the structure of human life.
Leduc explained the concept behind the track:
“Inspired by reveries borne of nighttime strolls in Montreal, ‘Neon Metropolis’ depicts a flaneur meandering through an autonomous megacity. A hymn-like chorus underscores the mood of alienated despair while the song’s urgent cadence mimics human and machine bustling to the restless beat of the cybernetic hive.”
He continued, “This city is not made for human life; it is without community; without history; without finality. Those who adapt see themselves reduced to mere utility, while the rest are condemned to haunt the shadows of the system’s forgotten crevices. It is the untenable result of life being in service to ever greater technological efficiency and development, rather than directing technical knowledge for the purposes of life.”
Those ideas extend across Artifice Dissolves, which centers its science-fiction framework around technological dominance, artificial intelligence, cybernetic transformation and the tension between human existence and increasingly autonomous systems. Musically, the record builds upon the technical death/thrash foundation established on Lower Form Resistance, with tracks including “Alloyed” and “Neon Metropolis” emphasizing complex guitar work and shifting rhythmic structures.
The production of Artifice Dissolves was divided between the band and several collaborators. Xavier Berthiaume recorded the drums at Productions Tehom, while Dissimulator handled the majority of the remaining recording. Laurent Bellemare contributed additional vocals to several tracks.
Hugues Deslauriers completed the reamping, mixing and mastering at Roarrrsoundsstudio. The album’s visual presentation features artwork by Noah Cutter Meihoff, whose credits include work with Ghost and Imperial Triumphant, with layout by Audrey Pasquini of Bangs! Studio and photography by Kristel Boucher.
“Neon Metropolis” is available through Dissimulator’s Bandcamp and YouTube channels ahead of the October release.
Release Information
Album: Artifice Dissolves
Artist: Dissimulator
Release Date: October 2
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Formats: LP, CD and digital
Current Single: “Neon Metropolis”
Band Lineup
Phillipe Boucher — Drums
Claude Leduc — Guitar, Vocals
Antoine Daigneault — Bass
Production Credits
Drums recorded by: Xavier Berthiaume at Productions Tehom
Additional vocals: Laurent Bellemare
Reamping, mixing and mastering: Hugues Deslauriers at Roarrrsoundsstudio
Artwork: Noah Cutter Meihoff
Layout: Audrey Pasquini / Bangs! Studio
Photography: Kristel Boucher
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