Disbelief - 66 Sick
Nuclear Blast - NB1379 - 14/03/2005
By Patrick Walsh
This groove-based, melodically tinged deathcore band from Germany have been floating around the underground since 1997. 66 Sick is their sixth album, and is a competent and frequently interesting listen but one that suffers from a lack of variety and a strange air of clinical monotony that they never quite seem to be capable of shaking off after about the sixth track. Having witnessed this band at the tail-end of 2002 during their support slot for Hate Eternal, it would appear Disbelief haven't changed too much musically in the last three years, and whilst 66 Sick is a decent slice of death metal it's hard to see it lighting anyone's world on fire.
Vocalist Karsten Jager does the requisite growls and screams with gusto, and occasionally his screamo drawl even recalls Obituary's John tardy. The use of clean vocals in some tracks are a reasonable addition, but they threaten to undermine the visceral power of what's on offer, and cuts such as 'Crawl' that use his clean voice prominantly only serve to highlight both Jager's vocal limitations (not to mention lyrical limitations), but the melodic guitar lines in said song manages to salvage it somewhat. Another notable cut is 'Sick' because of its catchiness, but it becomes apparent upon serious listening that most of the material here has a similar, mid-paced tempo and it's hard to see Disbelief becoming serious heavyweights in such a crowded genre. Disbelief threaten on occasion to really get going, but 66 Sick never truly rises above mediocrity.
6/10
Disbelief's Official Website
Nuclear Blast's Official Website
Nuclear Blast - NB1379 - 14/03/2005
By Patrick Walsh
This groove-based, melodically tinged deathcore band from Germany have been floating around the underground since 1997. 66 Sick is their sixth album, and is a competent and frequently interesting listen but one that suffers from a lack of variety and a strange air of clinical monotony that they never quite seem to be capable of shaking off after about the sixth track. Having witnessed this band at the tail-end of 2002 during their support slot for Hate Eternal, it would appear Disbelief haven't changed too much musically in the last three years, and whilst 66 Sick is a decent slice of death metal it's hard to see it lighting anyone's world on fire.
Vocalist Karsten Jager does the requisite growls and screams with gusto, and occasionally his screamo drawl even recalls Obituary's John tardy. The use of clean vocals in some tracks are a reasonable addition, but they threaten to undermine the visceral power of what's on offer, and cuts such as 'Crawl' that use his clean voice prominantly only serve to highlight both Jager's vocal limitations (not to mention lyrical limitations), but the melodic guitar lines in said song manages to salvage it somewhat. Another notable cut is 'Sick' because of its catchiness, but it becomes apparent upon serious listening that most of the material here has a similar, mid-paced tempo and it's hard to see Disbelief becoming serious heavyweights in such a crowded genre. Disbelief threaten on occasion to really get going, but 66 Sick never truly rises above mediocrity.
6/10
Disbelief's Official Website
Nuclear Blast's Official Website
