Disillusion

This is to be something of a unregistered review (Not travelling through the normal way on facebook) but is a band I felt deserved mentioning. There are likely to be a few of these to come as interest from other parties seems to have dwindled somewhat. But now I’m babbling.












Disillusion – The Porter – 4/5
http://www.mediafire.com/?dmdlxe25l0e

This is a short single by the band, prior to any full length release, which someone kindly uploaded for me. Being a fan of the band, I jumped on it expecting something magical, but I was sorely disappointed. The same standard of musicianship is present (A high standard) but its here they sound largely like their trying to adhere to the style of melodeath with a slight prog twist, resulting in a sound not too dissimilar from Opeth.

The vocals are still largely aggressive yet clean, but there are notably more growls than in future works, but the main problem I have with them is the distinct lack of emotion. Part of what I loved about this band is that emotional weight that each song contains, comparable to primordial’s “To the Nameless Dead” which simply isn’t here. The guitar work is once again complex yet both distinct and memorable, and the drumming top notch. Its only the lack of emotion present, combined with the fact they seem to be trying overly hard to play something which doesn’t really suit them. Nonetheless, this is a solid Single.














Disillusion – Back to Times of Splendor – 5/5
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yjymiv3n3gz

I don’t think it’s physically possible for me to praise this album enough. Ive been listening to it regularly for over a year now and its still as hard hitting as the first time I heard it. The aggression is back, and if anything has even more presence. It opens with a strong riff and harsh vocals which – Most importantly – sound like he’s spitting out angrily his frustrations, before switching to a calmer more melodic segment, yet still oddly retaining much of the aggression, but this time with a darker tone. The vocals I usually pay little attention to – I must confess – but here this isn’t an option. They stand out so well that you can help but hear what he has to say, even if you only acknowledge the tone.

The guitars working with the drums flawlessly transition between slow melodic passages eeking with despair and the more aggressive “pissed off” sounding riffs, and despite the often complex riffs they are incredibly addictive. None more so than the introductory riff for “Fall.” It really demonstrates their ability to write music when you’re capable of producing a work like this. Most artists struggle to make simplistic riffs memorable, so this must go down as something of a work of genius.

There is nothing bad about this album, the perfect combination of ‘catchiness’ drawing you in, and the emotion that sustains its replay value time and time again.













Disillusion – Gloria – 3.5/5

http://www.mediafire.com/?fv0wnjzlk2d
http://www.mediafire.com/?2eamgjiuzmz

After their previous album I eagerly anticipated their new full length, and the first thought that went through my mind when I heard it was disappointment. Gone was the Disillusion I loved for this, Techno progressive metalcore. Needless to say I went back to their last album and for a good time it was forgotten.

Well, I returned to it accidentally (It was on a playlist on shuffle) and on came “Don’t go any further” and I was intrigued, and at first glance I underestimated it.

The first point I should make is don’t go into this expecting another “Back to Times of Splendor” as this album is VERY different. Largely the catchy guitar riffs are still present, with electro synth effects (e.g. Dread it) and an electronic voice replacing the growls. The emotion is still there, but has a far less epic feel to it, resulting in a solid album if not with quite the same replay value.

The band clearly realised they were faced with a challenge – try to remake a “perfect” album or try something different, and they chose the latter, and on reflection I’m grateful. Id rather they experiment with new idea’s than re-hash old ones. (I make it no secret that whilst initially I loved Opeth, I had come to realise they haven’t had an orginal sound for 20 odd years now. The same applies to Dream Theatre and a number of other bands).

I would go as far to say that a number of the tracks, whilst different, are approaching the level of quality as seen in ‘BTTOS,’ but then a lot of the tracks simply get stale very quickly. “Lava” is a great example of this. Nearly 4mins of the same riff, no vocals, and to be honest, I don’t know what they were thinking. Another problem is “Too many broken cease fires,” which sounds remarkably like the older style of Disillusion, and it simply feels somewhat out of place, despite being a strong track.

This is an album I feel has been underrated, as it has a number of brilliant yet original sounding tracks, just dont go expecting another flash of brilliance. Personally, I’m intrigued to see what they can come up with next.

Highlights: Don’t go any further, The Black Sea, Too many broken cease fires.

By T. Bawden

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