DISBELIEF is by no means a new kid on the block since they count 20 years after the band's birth. Actually this release is set to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary comprised of four new songs, one rerecording and three cover ones. Of course the limited edition comes with a bonus DVD containing live footage. So, let's see/listen how DISBELIEF are celebrating their 20 year of existence.
Personally, I discovered this band just three years ago with "Navigator". That album was filled with solid Death Metal in the vein of the late DEATH presenting the prog finishing touches and -of course- Schuldiner-influenced growls. Well, there is absolutely no change in the four new songs that meet all the Death Metal standards. in the generally mid tempo "Isolation" there's some 'decayed' OBITUARY influences in the main rotted guitar riff and the Tardy-sounding vocals. I tell you this well played Death Metal pumped with generous doses of energy. "The Last Force: Attack!" starts in a slow but ton heavy pace and then explodes with double drum pedaling, deep growls and killer riffs. The last new recording is the atmospheric "Certainty Of Reality". And by using the term 'atmospheric' I mean a slow tempo, a lot of interesting guitar work in the background and a main riff to bang your head against!
After these tracks there are the cover songs that I sadly have to say manage to spoil the very good taste the first four tracks leave to the listener. When you are doing a cover song the goal is to present the band's point of view to the original track. This is not the case here; KING DIAMOND's "Welcome Home" has been performed with Death Metal vocals and additional guitar distortion. Nothing new and, hence, nothing interesting can be found here. The second choice is even more unfortunate than the first one; DISBELIEF lay hands on CRIMSON GLORY's "Red Sharks" and manage to take away all the melody of the original. "Love Like Blood" is the last cover song and the only one sounding interesting to my ears. The KILLING JOKE track sounds pretty cool through the Death Metal perspective and actually maintains the almost Gothic Rock essence with less growling vocals that fit to DISBELIEF's version. The additional keyboards work just fine while the clear vocals welcome an almost SENTENCE approach. The last song of this release is just the re-recorded version of "Shine" that was originally found in the same titled album that saw the light of the day back in 2002.
Bottom line is that this release could be better if the band had chosen the songs to cover in a wiser sense. This means choosing tracks that can be presented through the band's performing style and -why not- sound pretty different from the originals. Apart from this the four new songs follow the DISBELIEF sound without hiding any surprises satisfying all the Death Metal fans to the maximum. I have to say that this release is just for the fans of the band who like to have the DISBELIEF collection 100% completed.
