Matthew Konradt's death metal project Relentless Pursuit debuted on November 15, 2022 with the album Through Confusion. Now, nearly four years later, with an impressive slate of albums and EPs under his belt, Konradt has decided to return to where it all started. With its beautifully bonkers album art still intact, the debut album has now been re-released, fully recreated from scratch. Yet, rather than titling the new version "Revisited" or "Rerecorded," Konradt has given this new version the designation of "Reimagined." This begs the question, to what extent have these songs been changed? Have creative improvements been made, or merely ornamental improvements of production quality? Well, I'm quite pleased to say that — alongside sounding better by nearly every perceivable metric — Konradt has gone the extra mile to craft the original eight tracks into tighter, more cohesive songs.

The depth of effort and improvement can best be measured by comparing the original and reimagined versions of the album opener, "In Probation" (one of multiple tracks where the new version is considerably shorter than its predecessor). Across the board, the mixes are fuller, more balanced, and more professional. Both Konradt's screaming and his clean singing sound stronger and more confident, and now, they sit nicely within the mix, whereas the original vocals sat loudly and abrasively on top of the mixes. It's stunning how far he has come as a producer within these four years, but the changes and improvements get far more granular than production alone. "On Probation" has been given the facelift of an entirely different intro — replacing stilted bass guitar strums with dense, complex layers of warbly synths — and a thoroughly retooled outro; here, Konradt sings slightly revised lyrics and melodies atop a brand new alt-rock section that adds an exciting new climax to the track (a huge improvement over the original's extended piano and strings outro). The reimagined recording also smooths out the section transitions throughout the song, creating one smooth listening experience, as opposed to the awkward gaps and silences found in the 2022 version.

Unfortunately, not every change made to "On Probation" is necessarily a good one. For one, it's always been true that Konradt's strengths as a guitarist lie more in his rhythm playing than his lead riffs, and about halfway through this song, he adds an unnecessary riff that sounds startlingly similar to multiple riffs on his last full-length album, as well as a riff that appears on the following track, "Flamboyant Intoxication." His limited scope for finding unique lead melodies and tones has a subtractive quality; these songs would've been better off without adding these lead parts in. Meanwhile, some timing issues persist, especially when utilizing keys and orchestral instruments. There are also moments where the cadence of the original lyrics was a tad clunky, and it makes me wish that Konradt's lyrical revisions had gone a step further, to help smooth these issues out. Most surprisingly, though, is that the coolest musical moment from "On Probation" was removed. It used to contain a grooving instrumental breakdown reminiscent of System of a Down, but that section is nowhere to be found in the updated rendition.

I just spend a lot of time analyzing a single song, but the opener is indicative of what listeners can expect throughout Through Confusion Reimagined. Some songs contain more changes than others (highlight "Hit the Bricks" is, at times, totally unrecognizable in comparison to the original), but for the most part, this is a collection of some of Konradt's best recordings yet, amplifying the potential of his debut album by capitalizing on opportunities to improve both the production quality and the core songwriting. Whether it's the never-sounded-better balladry of "In My Mind," or the epic chaos of "Enter the Void," Through Confusion Reimagined represents the definitive Relentless Pursuit album, and the absolute best jumping-on point for anyone who's never listened before. Part of me wishes that Konradt had spent an extra year tightening these songs up even further (which would've also allowed him to release Reimagined in conjunction with the original's fifth anniversary), but as it stands, this re-release stands as a beautiful testament to hard work paying off. Konradt has proven himself to be a diligent, dedicated musician who refuses to quit improving his craft, and that fact shines more brightly here than on any previous Relentless Pursuit album.

- Review date: 8/11/26, written by Chase Tremaine of Jesusfreakhideout.com

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