The Leader

Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Music

Anyone familiar with metal will probably have a good idea who Tomas Lindberg is. He helped craft the melodic death metal movement with his band, At the Gates, but here on Live the Storm the listener finds him in a much different part of the metal music spectrum. For those unfamiliar with Disfear, the band crafts its sound from equal parts thrash and death metal and Swedish d-beat. So now that Disfear have returned from another hiatus, the question on fans minds must be, "was it worth it?"

The answer to this really depends on how much you enjoy Disfear's trademark sound. It is distinct, but at the same time somewhat bland. This is not to say Live the Storm is a bad album, as it will have you tapping your foot at the very least, but there is no denying that many of the songs end up blending together.

Starting off the album, "Get it Off" bursts forth with some great, crust-style riffs and gang vocals. To a degree, it does set the mood for the rest of the record. The album's guitar work and the riffs are probably one of its strongest points. This can be attributed mainly to the addition of ex-Entombed guitarist Uffe Cederlund. While songs like "The Cage" may sound somewhat bland, its Cederlund's guitar work that stands out and really helps pull the album along.

Song's like "The Furnace" and the seven minute long "Phantom" help push this album further than its original d-beat legs would have been able to take. Bluesy leads by Cederlund and Lindberg joined by gang vocals give the songs a more rock and roll feel. You can almost see a room full of drunken metal heads fist pumping along with the songs.

Attitude is also something Disfear is not lacking. One can almost smell the leather jackets and studded vests that come with this type of music. Even if the songs might not be mind blowingly original, Disfear does make it seem that they are having as much fun as one can have with this style of music. "Testament" makes one want to shout along with the gang vocals, optional beer held high in the air.

The whole package is wrapped up in much tighter production than seems to have been afforded to Disfear in the past. This will not be lost on the listener, seeing as it helps bring the stellar guitar work to the forefront. It would have been a shame if Cederlund's riffs would have been lost in a muddy mix, but thankfully they are clearly distinguishable here. Of course, one can't talk about the overall album without mentioning Lindberg's vocals, and they do stand up to what one would expect from him. Vicious roars and shrieks are his game plan, and he executes it well.

In the end, Disfear really isn't bringing anything new the table (the d-beat crowd isn't really known for being progressive). The record probably won't blow any minds, but it will please fans and may even win the band some new ones. Live the Storm is a solid album; it just really isn't anything new.

(3.5 out of 5)

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