Hate. Hate. Repeat.
Upon hearing Disruption there is one thing that hits you straight away - you've heard this before but you can't quite put your finger on where. When faced with a map you could place a thumb on America but then your pinky would be vainly sailing across the Atlantic to pinpoint the chilly depths of Sweden. This is the problem with these Swedish metallers in a nutshell. They've incorporated some of the things over the past few years that have performed CPR on the dead horse that used to be the scene - from the in your face lyrics and riffs of hate breeders Slipknot to the more well executed blast beats and arrangements of fellow countrymen In Flames or Dismember - and concocted a ball of pissed off and misanthropic attitude that tries to be inventive but like so many other bands at the moment just comes across as stale and repetitive.
However, that's not to say there aren't some fantastic tracks on this record and of this type there are a few. Title track 'Face The Wall' successfully blends the melodic yet brutal stylings of legendary death metallers At The Gates with Disruption's own brand of pulverising rock and roll. Lead man Jonas Renvaktar's vocal chords smoothly glide above the surface of the rest of the band's musical poetry, a trend which continues in other loath-fuelled sing-a-longs such as 'Demolisher' and the mighty 'Downwards' ('For all I had was a different solution/It burns and lies its a loving intrusion'). It's times like these when this group really begin to show their true colours and potential. Claiming that they've 'matured' since their early days in 1999 it might leave the most observational listener down in the mouth to find out they haven't lived up to what they could have been. Yet its important to note it has taken them this long to finally unleash their debut album to an unsuspecting public so it's safe to say there is plenty of time in the world left for Disruption to grow up and start playing with the big boys and this album is a good stepping stone into that realm.
Co guitarists Peter Eriksson and Mikael Lundqvist have done a great job in attempting to make each song sound original and strong enough to stand on its own but unfortunately for them their mission isn't a raging success. This lp is highly forgettable in terms of hooks and hits which is an extremely dangerous position for a band to be in and to be quite honest as a reviewer I've listened to the cd dozens of times and still find myself struggling to remember what track I liked and which one was even which. Apparently finding a killer riff and adapting it slightly constitutes as a different song these days (thank you Korn) so this is the dilemma we face with Disruption. 'Breathing Chemicals' sounds like 'King of the Kill'. 'King of the Kill' sounds like 'Rot' which in turn sounds like 'Breathing Chemicals' and so on. To the average metal fan out there Disruption might be a breath of fresh air and a good time listen but to those who take their music seriously this band might or most certainly will disappoint. The fact that they sound like a majority of the bands out there at the minute does not work in their favour and won't win an army of loyal followers however it will win some and some is all you need these days to get somewhere.
Simply put, this record as a debut is a firm enough base for band just starting out but with all the years on the underground you'd expect more from Disruption. So if you like your metal just like you like your tea - simple and refreshing then these Swedish metallers are for you. Yet if you like it with a little bit extra then steer clear because its only going to lead to disappointment and a soggy tea bag meeting you at the bottom of your cup.