Blatant Disarray Everyone Dies Alone
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Is there any doubt that thrash metal is making a major comeback? Between “The Big Four” performances, strong recent material from veteran bands (Testament and Overkill, in particular), retro bands like Toxic Holocaust and Municipal Waste, and exciting modern bands like Skeletonwitch and Warbringer, the thrash revival is inescapable. One of the more promising of the new breed of thrash metal bands is Raleigh, NC-based Blatant Disarray. The band, which features members of black metal band Dreamscapes of the Perverse, plays old school thrash metal with a thoroughly modern energy and classic production.
Everyone Dies Alone is the band’s long-awaited first full-length album, and it’s an absolute feast for thrash metal devotees, especially those who revere – as Blatant Disarray obviously does – classic bands like Testament, Metallica, Megadeth and to some extent Slayer. Wicked fast riffs are paired with intricate guitar solos, and Mike Schaefer’s vocals bring to mind Chuck Billy and James Hetfield’s more aggressive days. There’s also a technical element to these songs. Not necessarily progressive, but technical nonetheless. Production was handled by John Custer who produced several classic Corrosion of Conformity albums, and you do get that Blind/Deliverance vibe at times listening to this album.
Highlights of Everyone Dies Alone include “Down and Out,” “Eye Fortune” and especially the title track, but the whole album is guaranteed to induce headbanging.
If thrash is your thing, Everyone Dies Alone is a must-have album. There aren’t a lot of bands that can pull off such a classic sound without sounding trite or gimmicky, but Blatant Disarray does it, and quite well. It’s not hard to imagine this promising band becoming the standard bearers for the new wave of thrash metal.
Edition Notes: The CD version of Everyone Dies Alone features three previously unreleased bonus tracks – “Nine Days Wonder,” “Number One Disaster” and “Manipulation” – that were originally intended for an EP release that never materialized. These songs are not available in MP3 format, which makes the CD version the better purchase – a rarity in this age of digital music.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Band:
Mike Schaefer (v) (g)
Ryan Johnson (g)
Tim Worrell (d)
Adam Peterson (b)
Track Listing:
1. Undetermined
2. Down and Out
3. Question
4. End
5. Faithless
6. Pathetic
7. A Righteous Rant
8. Eye Fortune
9. Hourglass
10. Everyone Dies Alone
11. Nine Days Wonder (bonus)
12. Number One Disaster (bonus)
13. Manipulation (bonus)
Label: Tribunal
Website: www.blatantdisarray.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10