Disarmonia Mundi - _Nebularium / The Restless Memoirs_
(Coroner Records, 2009)
by: Paul Williams (7.5 and 7 out of 10 respectively)
I'm not sure what the production was like on Disarmonia Mundi's debut album first time round, but the remastered version, released by Coroner Records along with an EP (_The Restless Memoirs_), is decent. It is not up to the standards that appeared on _Mind Tricks_, but anyone who is a fan of melodic death metal would do well to check out this edition of _Nebularium_ as it conjures up all the definitive styles of the genre, like Soilwork vocal melodies, mid-tempo Dark Tranquillity riffs, and In Flames catchiness. There are additional mixes to Disarmonia's sound, like tinges of black metal on "Blue Lake" or progressive keyboard atmospherics.

This is a heavier album than _Mind Tricks_ due to the keys being less prominent and the riffs tending to take a distinctive, forceful position in the listener's memory. Also the vocal layering, which was a huge part of the sound of _Mind Tricks_, has been almost done away with, and instead there is just the inter-changing growl and clean vocals which suits the heavier, darker sound of early Disarmonia Mundi.

The EP that comes along with _Nebularium_ is a compilation of six songs that, I believe, haven't been released on any album that Disarmonia have put their name to before, and are just songs that have been recorded between 1999 and 2006 during main man and multi-instrumentalist Ettore Rigotti's down time. The EP definitely shows off the band's aggressive side; think _The Chainheart Machine_ era Soilwork, but with more melody and atmospherics. Although this EP has some worthwhile tunes like "Across the Burning Surface" and the ominous "Ghost Song", the most interesting thing about it is how you can hear the change from 1999 till 2006; from more straight out guitar aggression with melodic influences to the atmospheric, vocal layered material that they produce today. Either way, Disarmonia Mundi is able to show their influences but still remain influential to the melodic death metal scene.

Contact: http://www.disarmoniamundi.com

(article published 18/7/2009)


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