The quintet DISCONNECTED is a brand new Modern Metal band from France, drawing influences from ALTER BRIDGE, GOJIRA, and DEFTONES. From Apathia Records, and produced by Francois-Maxime Boutault (BEHEMOTH, DAGOBA), the band presents their debut album, "White Colossus," which contains ten tracks.

"Living Incomplete" is furious and technical at first out of the gate, with for me some common features you might hear from TRIVIUM. But when the main riff settles in, it is clearly more of a groove and alternative Metal type of sound. The bridge after the second chorus pushes a nice little interlude high in melody. "Blind Faith" has a down and dirty riff, and some counterbalance between clean and harsh vocals. The vocal harmonies are nice but sometimes connect in a key that make sour notes for me. The melodies are there but they just have to find a way for the listener to reach them easier. "Wounded Heart" is a good example of the latter. Many metalheads appreciate unabashed melody in their cup of aggressiveness. This is what you get here. It's duly heavy, but also sweet and easy to understand, and with an air of mystery.

The title track is where it all seems to come together. A chunky guitar riff and some bottom end weight combine with melodies and harmonies that squeeze into the open spaces perfectly, including a memorable chorus with harsh vocal trails. This is a fantastic song. "Blame Shifter" has some leading harsh vocals to go along with a meter than I can't quite put my finger on. Ethereal clean vocals and an extended guitar solo augment the song with some outer world type of elements. "For All Our Sakes" is more of a straight up rager but still has some Alternative sounds, especially in the clean vocal passages. Sometimes I think these competing elements meld well and other times not so well.

"Armageddon" closes the album. It's a mid-tempo song that is laced with clean vocal harmonies that linger. Though the instrumentation is heavy, the vocals counterbalance. A firey guitar solo caps off the sound. Overall, I think the debut here "White Colossus" from DISCONNECTED has some real potential. The talent is there as musicians and that is always an important first ingredient. They also have done well with the due weight of their sound and the harsh vocals which augment rather than dominate. Where I think the improvement might be for me would be in the clean vocals, and the keys in which they connect with the other parts of the music. They just feel off at times. But, give this your time and attention because there are some great songs on the album.