Canadian technical deaththrash outfit DISSIMULATOR turns its attention to the darker side of the relationship between humanity and technology on its second studio album, "Artifice Dissolves". Due out via 20 Buck Spin, the album is previewed by 'Alloyed', a track that once again builds on the band's sci-fi-driven world, this time through the idea of humans feeling inadequate in the face of technological perfection.

Vocalist and guitarist Claude Leduc traces the conceptual foundation of 'Alloyed' to the idea German philosopher Günther Anders described as "Promethean shame". The concept refers to the growing sense that human beings are inferior to the perfection of the technological systems they have created. In the song, this idea is explored through the motivations and consequences of undergoing a procedure to become fully cybernetic. According to Leduc, the band's syncopated riffing also moves in tandem with this sense of alienation expressed through the lyrics.

The central idea behind the track also makes clear that DISSIMULATOR's new album is not simply constructing a sci-fi narrative about the future. Within the band's approach, the real threat is not that machines will surpass humans, but that humans will willingly reach the point of accepting their own transformation into machines.

"Artifice Dissolves" takes the sound established by the Montreal-based band's debut album, "Lower Form Resistance", into a more complex territory. While its Sci-fi Death-Thrash foundation remains intact, sharp guitar riffs, dense rhythmic shifts, and songs that constantly accelerate and collapse create an increasingly labyrinthine musical structure. Alongside 'Alloyed', 'Neon Metropolis' stands out as another example of this approach.

The album's sci-fi world, however, is not shaped by its musical framework alone. Throughout "Artifice Dissolves", DISSIMULATOR brings together technological hegemony, artificial intelligence, cybernetic transformation, and the idea of a civilization gradually collapsing within a single narrative. The downfall of sunless megacities, humanity's transformation by its own technological systems, and the side effects of that transformation all contribute to the album's overall atmosphere.

The human element is never completely erased from this narrative. While the band constructs an intensely controlled and aggressive sonic framework, it emphasizes that the desire for order and transcendence beyond technological boundaries remains fundamentally human. In this sense, "Artifice Dissolves" is less a portrait of a future ruled by technology than an examination of what humanity might become when confronted with the systems it has created itself.

The album's cover artwork was created by Noah Cutter Meihoff, who has also worked with bands including GHOST and IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT. "Artifice Dissolves" will be released via 20 Buck Spin on October 2, 2026.

The nine-track album also features additional vocals from Laurent Bellemare on 'Artifice', 'Alloyed', and 'Proprioceptor'.

Inline image

DISSIMULATOR's "Artifice Dissolves" tracklist is as follows:

  1. 'Apophenic Rage'

  2. 'Hungry Ghosts'

  3. 'Artifice Dissolves'

  4. 'Alloyed'

  5. 'Proprioceptor'

  6. 'Dusk'

  7. 'Neon Metropolis'

  8. 'Anodyne'

  9. 'Robostrobos'

https://www.20buckspin.com

https://www.facebook.com/20buckspin

https://www.instagram.com/20buckspinlabel

https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/dissimulatorofficial

https://www.instagram.com/dissimulatorofficial