DISBELIEVER

Disbeliever wants to be Paradise Lost. The harmonised leads, the soaring voice, the chugging guitars all point to Halifax's finest. Hell, look at the song-titles; prime PL fodder. Unfortunately, Disbeliever chose to record their album with cheap karaoke microphones in a wooden box. The subsequent sound is one that can only be described as 'painful'. Still, the songs themselves aren't too bad. Think a more up-tempo 'Icon' or 'Shades of God', and you'll be in the ball-park. But, because the production is so bad, it's hard to really concentrate too hard on how good it is (or isn't). The drums flutter like they've been pushed through a wind farm. The songs are pushed so hard that the waveform, and I don't often do this, look almost flat (maxed out). There are no dynamics. No, that's not right, the intro pieces to each song starts with a sample or a synth-piece (barring 'Melancholy') that actually is spared the brick-wall. But, it's all too little to save this mess. My advice is for Disbeliever to spend some money on a producer/mixer/masterer who knows what he's doing because, despite the PL aping, there could be some good stuff here. Shame.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Self-released

Album

SOUL DIVIDED

Review by Steve Cowan

RUNNING TIME:

53:35

RELEASE DATE:

2010

TRACK LISTING

1) My Emptiness
2) Hypnosis
3) Shadow Life
4) Soul Divided
5) Forsaken
6) Psychosorrow
7) Reflections
8) Icon
9) Melancholy
10) Burning Memories

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Italy

"Think a more up-tempo 'Icon' or 'Shades of God', and you'll be in the ball-park. But, because the production is so bad, it's hard to really concentrate too hard on how good it is (or isn't)."