Rat Wars

The album was conceived after the band put together the second Disco4 album remotely. Vocalist and guitarist Jake Duzsik initially considered naming it Outer Dark, after the novel by Cormac McCarthy, but eventually settled on Rat Wars, the title of a track from their previous album Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear; the band compared the situation to The Doors' Waiting for the Sun.{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Brenton |title=HEALTH Share Little-Known Facts About 'RAT WARS' |url=https://www.maniacsonline.com.au/news/health-share-little-known-facts-about-rat-wars |website=Maniacs Online |access-date=27 July 2024 |language=en |date=30 November 2023}}

Rat Wars includes the work of a number of guest artists, including synthwave artist Sierra, electronic producer SWARM, Willie Adler of metal band Lamb of God, and members of Youth Code and Street Sects.{{cite web |last1=Appleford |first1=Steve |title=Winning the 'Rat Wars': How HEALTH pulled triumph out of "a purgatory of meaninglessness and death" |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/winning-rat-wars-how-health-pulled-triumph-out-purgatory-meaninglessness-and-death/ |website=Revolver |access-date=25 July 2024 |date=21 November 2023}} It was produced by Stint, though for "Children of Sorrow", band member John Famigletti intentionally used the demo mix as he felt it had "more vibe". "Future of Hell" was derived from a track by electronic artist Nexy that Famigletti heard whilst driving; he asked to work with him on the album, but was declined, leading to the track being sampled instead.{{cite web |title=Track By Track: HEALTH's John Famiglietti Breaks Down 'RAT WARS' |url=https://musicfeeds.com.au/features/track-by-track-healths-john-famiglietti-breaks-down-rat-wars/ |website=Music Feeds |access-date=25 July 2024 |date=19 December 2023}}

Rat Wars incorporates elements of metal, electronic and industrial genres. It continues in the direction established by Health's previous album Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear, being thematically darker and sonically harsher than the band's previous work.{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |title="Rat Wars is the most personal, cathartic and brutal record of their career." With a little help from Lamb Of God and Godflesh, Health have made an album fit for goth clubs and mosh pits alike |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/health-rat-wars |website=louder |access-date=27 July 2024 |language=en |date=8 December 2023}}

Duzsik described it as more personal than Health's previous work, being thematically "much more of an ‘I’ record than a ‘we’ record” and influenced by his "disharmonious state". He called the imagery of children in the lyrics "Jungian", being influenced by his own experiences raising his son.{{cite web |last1=Marlin |first1=Natalie |title=HEALTH Embrace Their Inner Dark |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/health/health-rat-wars-interview |website=Paste Magazine |access-date=25 July 2024 |date=14 December 2023}}

The first single, "Hateful", was released as part of an April 2023 update to the video game Ultrakill, with the developer stating "Yes, we're premiering... new music inside of Ultrakill now, deal with it".{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Andy |title=HEALTH debut new single 'HATEFUL' through first-person shooter 'Ultrakill' |url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/health-debut-new-single-hateful-through-first-person-shooter-ultrakill-3437487 |website=NME |access-date=30 March 2024 |language=en-AU |date=28 April 2023}} The album was announced alongside two more singles, "Children of Sorrow" and "Sicko", with a release date of December 7.{{cite web |last1=Damara Kelly |first1=Tyler |title=Health announce new album, Rat Wars alongside double singles, "Children of Sorrow" and "Sicko" |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/health-announce-new-album-rat-wars-alongside-double-singles-children-of-sorrow-and-sicko |website=The Line of Best Fit |access-date=9 October 2023}} Before the release, the band released three more singles: "Ashamed" on 23 October, "Unloved" on 16 November, and "Demigods" on 23 November.{{cite web |last1=Schube |first1=Will |title=HEALTH Return With New Single ‘ASHAMED’ |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/health-ashamed/ |website=uDiscover Music |access-date=27 July 2024 |language=en |date=23 October 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Petrosian |first1=Nika |title=HEALTH Lean Into Goth Roots with New Single "UNLOVED" |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/health_unloved |website=Exclaim! |access-date=27 July 2024 |language=en |date=16 November 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Kennelty |first1=Greg |title=HEALTH Streams Retro Gaming Video For New Single "Demigods" |url=https://metalinjection.net/video/health-streams-retro-gaming-video-for-new-single-demigods |website=Metal Injection |access-date=27 July 2024 |date=26 November 2023}}

The cover artwork was designed to mirror that of the band's debut album, as a way of stating they had metaphorically "started again". After its release, the band published a Vampire Survivors-like game on itch.io, Rat Wars Survivors, to promote the album.{{cite web |last1=Piley |first1=Max |title= HEALTH’s Jake Duzsik responds to negative comments on ‘What’s In My Bag?’ video |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/healths-jake-duzsik-responds-to-negative-comments-on-whats-in-my-bag-video-3608736 |website=NME |access-date=30 March 2024 |date=24 March 2024}}

In October 2024, the band released Rat Wars Ultra Edition, containing the new single "Free to Die" with Filter, and three previously released tracks. These included a previously Spotify exclusive cover of Deftones' "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)", and "The Drain" from Bad Omens' collaborative album Concrete Jungle [The OST].{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Gregory |title=Hear FILTER's RICHARD PATRICK join HEALTH on new industrial rager |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/hear-filters-richard-patrick-join-health-on-new-industrial-rager/ |website=Revolver |access-date=27 October 2024 |date=17 October 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Deville |first1=Chris |title=HEALTH Cover Deftones' "Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)": Listen |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2251510/health-be-quiet-and-drive-far-away-deftones-cover/music/ |website=Stereogum |access-date=27 October 2024 |language=en |date=12 February 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Chelosky |first1=Danielle |title=HEALTH & Filter Share New Song "Free To Die": Listen |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2284241/health-free-to-die-feat-filter/music/ |website=Stereogum |access-date=27 October 2024 |language=en |date=17 October 2024}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 73/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/rat-wars/health|title=Rat Wars by Health Reviews and Tracks|website=Metacritic|access-date=December 10, 2023}}

| rev1 = DIY

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://diymag.com/review/album/health-rat-wars|title=Health – Rat Wars review|magazine=DIY|last=Smurthwaite|first=James|date=December 6, 2023|access-date=December 7, 2023}}

| rev2 = Kerrang!

| rev2score = 4/5{{cite magazine|url=https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-health-rat-wars|title=Album review: Health – Rat Wars|magazine=Kerrang!|last=Thomas|first=Olly|date=December 4, 2023|access-date=December 7, 2023}}

| rev3 = The Line of Best Fit

| rev3score = 8/10{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/health-rat-wars-eviscerating-act-of-catharsis|title=Health: Rat Wars Review – nuclear catharsis|website=The Line of Best Fit|last=Bray|first=Jack|date=December 6, 2023|access-date=December 7, 2023}}

| rev4 = Sputnikmusic

| rev4score = 4.9/5{{cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/87960/HEALTH-RAT-WARS/|title=Review: Health – Rat Wars|website=Sputnikmusic|last=K.|first=Simon|date=December 6, 2023|access-date=December 7, 2023}}

| rev5 = Uncut

| rev5score = 5/10{{cite magazine|title=Health – Rat Wars|magazine=Uncut|page=29|date=December 2023}}

}}

Rat Wars received a score of 73 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. 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". 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". 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".

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". 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".

{{Track listing

| headline = Rat Wars track listing

| title1 = Demigods

| writer1 = {{hlist|Jacob Duzsik|John Famiglietti|Ajay Bhattacharyya|Brandon Carroll}}

| length1 = 5:41

| title2 = Future of Hell

| writer2 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya|Nexy}}

| length2 = 2:32

| title3 = Hateful

| note3 = featuring Sierra

| writer3 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya|Sierra}}

| length3 = 4:08

| title4 = (Of All Else)

| writer4 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya|Sierra}}

| length4 = 2:30

| title5 = Crack Metal

| writer5 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya|Alex Norman}}

| length5 = 3:10

| title6 = Unloved

| writer6 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya}}

| length6 = 3:16

| title7 = Children of Sorrow

| writer7 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Will Adler|Bhattacharyya|Carroll}}

| length7 = 3:20

| title8 = Sicko

| note8 = featuring Godflesh

| writer8 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya|Justin Broadrick|G. Christian Green}}

| length8 = 2:21

| title9 = Ashamed

| writer9 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya}}

| length9 = 3:01

| title10 = (Of Being Born)

| writer10 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya}}

| length10 = 1:56

| title11 = DSM-V

| writer11 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya|Carroll}}

| length11 = 4:23

| title12 = Don't Try

| writer12 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya}}

| length12 = 5:14

| total_length = 41:32

}}

{{tracklist

| total_length =

| headline = Rat Wars Ultra Edition - bonus tracks

| title13 = Free to Die

| note13 = featuring Filter

| length13 = 3:41

| writer13 = {{hlist|Richard Patrick|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya}}

| title14 = Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)

| note14 = cover

| length14 = 3:07

| writer14 = {{hlist|Abe Cunningham|Chi Cheng|Chino Moreno|Stephen Carpenter}}

| title15 = Ashamed

| note15 = featuring Lauren Mayberry

| length15 = 3:01

| writer15 = {{hlist|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya}}

| title16 = The Drain

| note16 = featuring Bad Omens and Swarm

| length16 = 3:45

| writer16 = {{hlist|Noah Sebastian|Joakim Karlsson|Duzsik|Famiglietti|Bhattacharyya|Swarm}}

}}

Sample credits

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

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)
• SWARM – synthesizer (track 1, 7, 11), guitar (1, 7, 11), bass guitar (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

• Stint – production
• Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering
• Lars Stalfors – mixing
• Jason Schimmel – engineering
• Matthew Neighbour – mixing assistance

{{reflist}}

{{Health (band)}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2023 albums

Category:Albums produced by Stint (producer)

Category:Health (band) albums

Category:Loma Vista Recordings albums