Kenneth W. (Eyesore) from TAUNTON, MA Reviewed on 12/4/2007...
The term "progressive" has become something of a misnomer in music over the last few decades. It once referred to a band that was constantly evolving, reinventing their sound, album to album, song to song. At some point, though, that term simply applied to bands that played in odd time signatures and mixed myriad musical influences into their songs and albums, not necessarily doing much in the form of progression. I'm not an elitist; I understand what the term once meant, and what it means today. I have no problems with it. So I found it odd when I was taken aback with Disillusion's first full-length since Back To Times Of Splendor. On Gloria, gone are the complex, brutal guitar melodies and drum work; gone are the gut-wrenching vocals and death metal exploitations. Instead it's all been replaced by simpler riffs and vocals more akin to industrial metal than the progressive death metal that was on Back To Times Of Splendor. Disillusion seems to have embraced the original meaning of "progressive," releasing an album that is seemingly the product of a different band.
"The Black Sea" starts Gloria off with some violin, not unknown to fans of their previous work. The smoke soon clears, though, and once Andy Schmidt starts to "sing" -- in a distorted, half-spoken word style, accompanied by female harmonies during the chorus -- you know something has changed. "Dread It" follows, and largely travels the same road; though it features an utterly distracting, herky-jerky guitar riff, and the gothic overtones during the chorus are boring. A truly oddball track is next: "Don't Go Any Further" begins with what seems to be some processed, off-the-cuff spoken words -- "Um...I saw you this morning, when you were ironing all the...all the...uh...you know...all the stuff that we need...". It makes no sense. And it's repeated again during the first verse, and the second verse if more spoken word nonsense. The chorus is simply the title shouted over a groovy riff. (In fact, the lyrics in the booklet are simply "don't go any further" written over and over again.) The song ends in a cacophony of disjointed noises. "Too Many Broken Cease Fires" and "The Hole We Are In" are the only two songs that seem to be a distant product of the band that released Back To Times Of Splendor. But even these songs are not without the new oddities the band has injected into the rest of the album.
This formula is essentially repeated over the course of eleven songs. Nearly every song features spoken word verses, utilizing some kind of vocal processing, samples, industrial-sounding (i.e. artificial) rhythms, simple, groovy guitar riffs, and an astounding lack of anything as memorable as found on Back To Times Of Splendor. However, with that said, Gloria is a decent and interesting album. It's just not very comparable to what this band has done in the past. But taken as a singular piece of art, it's a decent progressive industrial metal release. Gloria is simply a bit too short on character appeal.
"Alright, before getting to the actual review I want to say this upfront. To those people who loved Back to Times of Splendor and are looking for another progressive masterpiece, you're looking in the wrong direction. Disillusion stated they didn't want to make a BtToS2, and thus Gloria takes a completely different approach music wise.
You're probably wondering what Gloria is then. Well essentially it's some kind of mix of industrial, electric sounds, funk and metal. The length of the songs has been reduced to your average 3-4 minutes, and the vocals received a big overhaul too. The rough death metal grunts accompanied by clean vocals are no longer there. Instead the tracks carry a heavily distorted voice that talks more then it sings.
So where does that leave us with the actual music? It's hard to define really, each and every track has a somewhat different ring to it. What they all do share is an original experimental point of view. Some songs are build of typically catchy riffs, others use electric buzzing sounds as a foundation and the rest... are just plain weird.
That's not to say that this album is bad. Despite it's unusual nature, it has a lot to love if you can find to appriciate it. Most of the songs are actually very catchy and pleasant to hear. The different components (elecric and industrial with metal guitar) are very well matched together, which leaves a unique listening experience. Having said that I find this a hard album to rate. The album itself is really good, I'm just not sure how many people can truly appreciate it for wat it is...
...Which is also my biggest fear. I've already seen it being obliterated in several reviews not because of what it is, but because of what is _not_: The second installment of Back to Times of Splendor. That is not what it is, and neither what it wants to be.
But please let this review not scare you away in buying "Gloria" if you loved their previous album. Preview some of their tracks, see for yourself if you like their style. Just listen to it with an open mind, and don't judge it too quickly."
DO GO FURTHER AND GET THIS NOW !
THE TROOPER | Chalmette, La USA | 11/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is hard to even put into words how much I love Disillusion's music. This group to me are so unique and have so much talent and have such an awesome sound how could any metalhead old or new not like this. This group is unreal! No-one in metal sounds like them. They are true artists. Although their first album (BACK TO TIMES OF SPLENDOR) IS A MASTER PIECE and one of the greatest metal albums I have ever heard. This album is a lot different but not in a bad way. This album is also great but in a different kind of way from the last. Although I believe many metalheads don't like groups to change they would like them to put out the same kind of album over and over. I go against the grain on that and believe change is most of the time an art statement for the group and shows they have talent to do something fresh and new. I believe this is without a doubt exactly the case for this group and their new album. This album though different from their first one is still an amazing piece of metal music. So if you truly love metal music and appreciate the art of metal you should already have this album and their first one as well and if you don't then (DON'T GO ANY FURTHER)."
Nevermind the naysayers!
Master of Sound | Bethlehem, PA USA | 07/16/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album rocks, it's as short and simple as that. I never heard Back to Times of Splendor, so I can't compare this album to that (I heard a clip at myspace, and I recall good ol' generic death vocals). If you are looking for something truly and completely orgininal in the metal genre, and like all types of metal, you've found a hit. I own about 400 metal albums now, and am always looking to expand my collection, and I can say this one stands on its own, in a good way.
Getting onto the details of the album, let me just first say that the lyrics to this album really don't make that much sense, but that's the beauty of art, it doesn't have to make sense (hence Picasso and other abstract art). In my opinion, if you're that concerned about the lyrics being superior, go read a book. People complain on here that the vocals are too processed and distorted and have too many effects (that description would fit Manson moreso). I don't really agree with that, and even if that was true, who the hell cares!? They sound cool, and they fit the music. The vocals are mostly clean, with a little processing.
The music itself is awesome, completely creative and unique. I can best describe it as industrial, experimental, avant-garde, heavy metal. The first track sets the tone of the album well. It begins with a cool mix of electronics, a pulsating violin (or cello), and a subtle choir in the background, then the drum kicks in, then...... BLAST, a freakin' huge wall of ultra distorted guitar and drums knocks you on your ass. From there, the ever-so unique vocals kick in with a great groove that you just want to move to.
I find track 3 (don't go any further) to be rather funny; the fact that it pisses the close-minded listeners of this album off. It starts with the cheesiest lyrics ever, and you would think the song would completely suck, but then the guitar and drums kick in with a huge groove. It jumps back and forth between the groovy part and a more relaxed part. Certainly a song you can bang your head to. If you can get through this song and like the album up to that point, then you'll love the whole album.
Track 4 (avalanche) just pulls you in. It is very unique sounding; consistent and one of the lighter ones. You get lost in this track; you'll have to stop what you're doing and the track will just take you on an auditory journey, trust me.
Aerophobic is interesting, although it's not metal. It kind of sounds like a disco-tek, with a good beat and the broken blades of a helicopter. It's cool how Disillusion use a track like this as a bridge between songs that sounds awesome, instead of filler.
The Hole We Are In is a pretty heavy track, and there is even a trace (a real, real small trace) of black metal (in the growled vocals that fade out).
Tracks 8 and 10 follow in the same vein as those that preceded; lava is the weakest track, and the last track is just a laid back, more peaceful conclusion to a completely awe-inspiring album.
I don't see how one of the reviwers on here find this to be uninspiring. Just b/c an album doesn't have guitar solos doesn't make it uninspiring, folks. And comparing it to Rammstein (the godfathers of industrial metal) is a huge plus in my opinion, not a drawback. This album can be compared to them maybe in an industrial sense, but it stands on its own as completely unique from anything out there. It's experimental, but in a good, concise way. The songs aren't 10 minutes and make you lose your interest and composure by 5 minutes. Disillusion don't rely on a pool of melody to draw the listener in; instead they do it with their great rythym and pure creativity. In my opinion it takes a lot of skill to be able to pull off experimentation, groove, heaviness, and serenity in the same song, and Disillusion do just that. If you're a metalhead with an open mind (or even if you're not) looking for something truly unique and awesome, look no further. If the above qualities fit you, this album may be destined to become one of your new favorites, as it has become mine. Also, it only takes a few listens to get into it, not 500 billion (like those super-long progressive, experimental discs; which are sometimes good, but more often than not just lose my attention).
"
Very Interesting and Unique; A Complete 180
IcemanJ | Ohio, USA | 01/10/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'll explain the scenario that most people have probably encountered with this album. "Back to the Times of Splendor," which I didn't get until June 2006, just a few months before "Gloria" came out, was probably the best progressive metal album I bought in the past 2 years or so. I was looking so forward to Gloria, I was counting down the days, and got it as fast as the mailmen brought it here (which is slow in America). Now shortly before I got Gloria, I heard it was "different" and that there was "electronics," but I didn't think too much of it. First time I popped it in, I HATED!!! It. I was disgusted, confused, surprised, and heartbroken all at once. But Alas! I love so many different kinds of music and am so open minded, I figured, hey, I like really experimental stuff, and electronica, and industrial a little, so I'm sure this will grow on me. And it did!
That's right folks, Disillusion has abandoned, at least on this album, their colossal, winding, folk-inspired metal adventures for short, experimental industrial/electronica-influenced metal and while it was not what I was expecting at all, it has grown on me kind of quickly. The vocals are almost always electronically distorted and processed, but that kind of fits with the theme as well. Disillusion's vocals have always been their little weak point anyways. On "Avalanche" it almost seems like he is singing out of tune because he's trying to sing at too high of a pitch that he can't physically accomplish...
"The Black Sea" is an awesome song. It's sludgy sounding, with very heavy guitars, some angelic female backing vocalists, highly distorted 'talking' style vocals, and a little electronic beat here and there. "Dread It" is perhaps my favorite song. It keeps a very steady, upbeat rhythm, with some sharp synth'd-violin sweeps that get a little mangled up sometimes, and some ultra heavy guitar riffs.
The title track is pretty cool, with some more angelic female vocals on top of those ultra-muddy guitars, almost making it feel like some kind of magical underground volcano area, and then suddenly there is that crumbly distorted voice almost _rapping_ on top of some funky beats you would probably find in a European dance club, Then later everything stops suddenly for a quiet little acoustic instrumental. This song always leaves me as confused as a rat in a labyrinth but it is oddly addicting. Next comes "Aerophobic," with a very eerie intro, which suddenly backflips into an intricate, upbeat electronic rhythm, and turns out to be a pretty neat "instrumental" song (with very few actual instruments).
"The Hole We Are In" is another really interesting track, highly "industrialized." The first half or so is instrumental, and the little rhythm that kind of sounds like banging on tin cans is awesome, along with the poetic, bizarre lyrics, sudden explosions of heavy guitars, and that little electronic-rhythm solo near the end.
"Lava" kind of annoys me. This is where I think they're overdoing the gimmick a bit too much. It would be a very nice instrumental song, but they have to add that thick, muddy layer of distortion on it. By this point in the album especially, it would be nice for a break and just have something a bit relaxing to the ears, instead you have a real nice melody that is distorted to the point of annoyance.
This is really a _very_ unique album, and I'm kind of glad that they went with this approach now, although it could be better. A few songs are kind of yuck. Maybe they'll be like Ulver and every album will be a completely new direction of insane unpredictability. This one sure is. And if you get this album and don't like it, keep listening to it."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
Kenneth W. (Eyesore) from TAUNTON, MA 
