CoC : Disarray - A Lesson in Respect : Review

Disarray - _A Lesson in Respect_
(Eclipse, 1999)
by: Brian Meloon (5 out of 10)

Disarray's promo material boasts "On July 27, 1999, the underground will rear its ugly head... and the music industry will fall into complete Disarray". Aside from the fact that July 27th has come and gone with no ill effects on the music industry (except maybe that Hall & Oates re-release), this album never really had a chance of affecting even the underground music industry. Quite frankly, this record is just another "death metal meets hardcore" album; nothing more, nothing less. Its most unique feature is the band's interesting take on Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird". Aside from that, this is your standard, sludgy mix of death metal and hardcore. The guitar work, guitar solos and drumming are competent but not challenging, the vocals are standard hardcore-style shouting, the production is decent (though the drums sound a little bit hollow), and the songs are boring. It's not that they're bad, but they're nothing you haven't heard before. They usually plow along at a slow-to-mid tempo, pummelling the listener into aural submission but providing few surprises. To Disarray's credit, I get the impression from their CD that they'd be a better live band than this album reflects. Perhaps they can build a following by playing live, but otherwise, they're going to have to do something to make their original music stand out from the myriad of bands out there doing the same style.

(article published 9/12/1999)