Illdisposed: Sense the Darkness

This album's stunning cover art was created by Mircea Gabriel Eftemie of the band Mnemic. Interested readers may want to check out Eftemie's website which has several pages of his activities in various creative endeavors. I really liked the "artworks" page, mainly because of the striking painting of a solider waving an American flag that, instead of stars, has a peace sign. The solider himself, is heavily bloodied, especially around his mouth and chin. His fingers, raw and grotesque, hold his weapon close. The point, I'm sure, is that war and peace always co-exist only in terms of a contradiction or a fundamental paradox. For Sense the Darkness, Eftemie gives us a cover that has a man (reminiscent of Voldemort, I must confess) holding a snake. Both the man and the snake disappear toward the bottom into a vapor of smoke.

Illdisposed has been around for a long time and this is their tenth studio release. One of the strongest death metal bands coming out of Denmark, they deliver a strong, powerful, release that should leave fans very satisfied. I haven't followed Illdisposed for much of their career, but I see no reason why this album wouldn't be considered as strong, as bold, as prior works. I preferred tracks like "Time to Dominate" because of their excellent melodic middle sections. I often grow tired of heavy metal that relentlessly delivers the same song over and over again. Melodic breaks, like this, provide variety and generate continued interest.

Most of the songs on this release are pretty similar to each other. Bo "Subwoofer" Summer's vocals generally lead things out with their low and menacing roar. He suits the music very well, though I sometimes wanted to hear him do something else with his voice than merely shout out the lyrics. Check out, though, "She's Undressed" when his voice takes on a barking quality about one minute in. Though likely a studio effect, it was pretty cool. I must admit that this song struck me as odd. I don't know the lyrics offhand but it's funny to hear such a scary voice, a monstrous roar, repeating "she's undressed." It reminded me of a horror movie from the 80s when the killer waits until his victim (usually a female) is at her most vulnerable before striking.

As for the rest of the band, they sound strong and consistent on each track. I was especially drawn to Jakob Hansen and Ken Holst's clear and sharp and strong guitar parts, though the raw and pounding drums played by Thomas Jensen are also clearly the word of a seasoned player. Be sure to listen to the whole thing: the best track "We do this Alone" comes at the very end but represents what these guys do best, deliver a blend of death and thrash that leaves the ears ringing with delight. Recommended.

Track Listing:
1. Sense the Darkness
2. Eyes Popping Out
3. Time to Dominate
4. Never Compromise
5. Stop Running
6. I Am Possessed
7. Too Blind to See
8. The Poisen
9. Another Kingdom Dead
10. She's Undressed
11. We Do this Alone

Added: November 22nd 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2482
Language: english

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