DISCONNECTED - White Colossus |
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French metal has achieved a really great reputation over the last few years, a fact which is underlined by Disconnected. At first sight, neither band name nor album cover look particularly inviting, but there is much more to White Colossus than I initially expected. The info sheet is threatening me with modern metal, a genre that someone my age isn’t usually looking forward to. Disconnected, not unlike their British influence Architects, don’t want to limit themselves to one specific genre. Instead they combine different elements from metalcore, thrash metal, progressive metal, nu metal and even rock music into their sound. The band also doesn’t shy away from comparisons to Alter Bridge – with whose frontman Mark Tremonti Disconnected will be touring this fall – as they also have catchy choruses that invite to sing along. Unlike the Americans, the French quintet gives its songs a much heavier sound. The opener Living Incomplete is a very complex piece that right away displays the band’s powerful approach. The swift changes between brutal and melodic parts are unpredictable, and the majestic guitar riffs and progressive intricacies furthermore enhance the music’s quality. Blind Faith is a little quieter, but the vocals are so varied that parallels to Devin Townsend come to mind. The multifaceted title track which reminds of bands like Meshuggah and Between The Buried And Me is one of the album’s best moments. As many as there are shredding orgies and complex rhythms, there is also a mellower side to Disconnected. Blame Shifter for instance has a furious beginning, but then evolves into a harmonic post rock song. Feodora, for which the band made a video clip, is another quieter piece. Only Wounded Heart doesn’t find its momentum, and the slightly whiny vocals make this sound like the harmless neo prog bands from the Eighties. But that’s the only lapse on this album. The band is proud to have hired as a producer François-Maxime Boutault, who also worked already for Dagoba, Behemoth and Loudblast. He really managed to give White Colossus a powerful and contemporary sound. But the biggest merit goes to the band that shows that even after so many decades, it’s still possible to surprise within the heavy metal genre. Disconnected definitely sound more modern than most self-declared modern metal bands. |