Total Brain Format - New 'New Disorder' Material

Album Review – New Disorder – Total Brain Format

I am not sure how many of you have heard of New Disorder, but if this is your first time, then you are in for an ear busting treat. Imagine metal crossed with soul crossed with punk, crossed with Brit pop. Sounds incredulous, don’t believe me? You will have to give it a listen!

The album kicks in with the fast paced ‘(What’s Your Aim?) Call It Insanity’. The haunting and creepy vocals match the system of down-esque guitars and drums perfectly. Following this epic beginning is ‘A Senseless  Tragedy (Bloodstreams)’. Big, brash and beautiful. It has a real sense of feeling that so many metal bands are missing these days. I would like to imagine that when New Disorder do this live it gets to the crowd with a passion like when Metallica perform ‘One’ and Maiden ‘Fear of the Dark’.

‘Bitch On My Wall’ has straight up guitars and melodies, with a lead up to chorus that is so good I could listen to it on a loop for hours. ‘Drown’ and ‘Just A Mind Failure’ has an early 90’s grungy feel reminiscent of Alice in Chains and better than Soundgarden

‘Escape part III’ and ‘Judgement Day’ burst into being with raw, energetic and relentless riffs,  which are remindful of early Muse. Next up is ‘Lost In London’ which reeks of old style British punk music. Fantastic. This album clearly has so many influences; it doesn’t know which way to turn next.

‘Loves Kills Anyway’ and ‘The Perfect Time’ have powerful lyrical statements which compliment the heavy drums and epic vocals.  The latter is, to me, the stand out track on the album. It has a familiar and emotional feeling, yet still rocks with some hard ass lyrics.

New Disorder knows how to rock and with that knows how to do a rock ballad. ‘Nevertheless’starts off real slow but builds up to what is surely going to become a classic. The album comes to a close with ‘Youthopia’. At first I thought it was actually Brian Molko. The track is so verysimilar to teenage angst that I had to play it twice. It is, however, possibly better with New Disorder adding their own distinct edge.

Reviewed by Samantha Whitham

F.O.O.S. EP Review.

Four out of seven, or F.O.O.S as they like to be known, have a special blend of music they like to call ‘electrock’. Their blend of electronic beats and alternative rock is slick, smart and yet soulful.

The band incorporates many different flavours into their beats. You can hear influences from the likes of Placebo, The Prodigy, Faderhead and Nine inch nails with their weird guitars, electric beats and funky lyrics. There is also the rock edge that is reminiscent of Brit pop. This can be heard to particular brilliance on the opening drums of ‘Real love’ and the vocal style of ‘Grey’.

An interesting fact to F.O.O.S. is their lack of a bass player. This does not hinder them one bit as their crazy, kooky electronic style more than makes up for it. You are even left wondering why most bands insist on one!

‘In my pocket’ starts the EP off with some bonkers distortion and continues in this trend with some edgy placebo esque lyrics. The band go a bit more old skool with track ‘Real love,’ incorporating a bit of funk, mixed with a chunk of Brit pop for good measure.

The next track is the hardest to get your head around. It is a short, slap round the face of electronica mixed with guitars. Yet it feels oddly brilliant. The EP culminates in a totally different direction with ‘Grey’. The electronic influence is definitely more subtle, the track has a more chilled out feeling, which shows that the band have more to them than just the one style

Their tunes are sharp, sexy blasts of infused ‘electrock.’ With only four tracks on this EP, it is a great taster, but definitely leaves us wanting more!

Reviewed by Samantha Whitham

Review – Hollywood Burns by New Disorder

Deafening, delightful yet downright dirty. The debut from New Disorder is at the forefront of emotive metal. The soulful singing and mental music perfectly blends to create ‘Hollywood Burns.’ Vocally the band sound like a cross between Serj Tankien, the metal yet operatic singer from System of a down and Muse’s Matt Bellamy. And on some of the more psychedelic tracks slightly reminiscent of Placebo’s Brian Molko. All in all a deadly cocktail.

‘Hollywood Burns’ has a big feeling too it. The songs yearn to be played loudly and to be heard by everyone.  Tracks like ‘Sick Feeling’ ‘Blue skies’ and ‘Another hero to save’ are gutsy, anthemic slices of rock and roll.

Other brilliant finds in this album are the groovy, trippy and delectable ‘Escape’ and ‘Last Breath.’ The latter also having an extra gothic feel too it, with a beautiful Celtic twist. 

The stand out track for me on the album is ‘Free me from the dark’. It starts off with soft, harmonious vocals; then kick in the filthy guitars. Awesome. Lyrically the song is exquisite too.

New Disorder obviously love to experiment and are not satisfied with just one basic sound. As well as the aforementioned journeys into psychedelia and all out rock, they have also gone all early 90’s on our asses, with grunge influences in tracks ‘Hollywood burns’ and Break out disorder.’

A welcome treat into the weird and wonderful world of all things metal

Last Breath – EP review

Fresh like the sea breeze, Last Breath has an uplifting and energetic approach to their music. From the moment you dive in, to the second you emerge, the experience is a nonstop whirlwind of exertion. Although the lyrics are not always a laugh a minute, the music itself stands out, with its upbeat rhythms and intoxicating melodies.  Imagine the Manic Street Preachers’ track ‘You stole the sun from my heart’ and you’re there.

‘Will not last’ is a fast-paced, take no prisoners’ introduction. The ascension in to the song with the rapid drum beats, culminating with the cool entrance of the guitars, is brutal. A perfect beginning.  The flurry continues with next track ‘It’s my time.’ Just as the band has lured you into their frenzied world, it’s all change. The build up is a bit slower, the song a bit more epic, but with lyrics being about second chances and living for each moment, the overall spirited feeling is still there.

‘My day’ has that American punk rock feeling reminiscent of All American Rejects and Blink 182. ‘The story ends’ carries on this theme, but goes the extra mile. The sound is louder, brasher and that bit more self assertive. Brilliant. 

Every good record has that track that will melt even the cruellest of hearts. ‘Drive all night’ fits that description. Beautiful, soulful and full of passion. 

Do you ever get a feeling that if an R’n’B song got the rock treatment it would actually be good? Well that is exactly what happened when Last Breath thought to cover Taio Cruz’s ‘Break your heart.’ They bring a raw, unfashioned and almost dirty sound to the table. Definitely superior to the original.

‘Been down this road’ finishes the EP on a colossal high. The addition of the haunting female vocals, blended with rough but ready sounds of Last Breath, is something special. 

Reviewed by Samantha Whitham