VISION OF DISORDER is poised to make waves once again. "Razed To The Ground" is their second release for Candlelight Records, following 2012's "The Cursed Remain Cursed", their first album since 2001's "From Bliss to Devastation". "The Cursed Remain Cursed" was a fantastic comeback release that offered the most noticeably traditional hardcore aspects of their catalogue. They've had a reputation as a hardcore band, likely due because they regularly played hardcore shows in the Northeast in their early days; however, they were really a bunch of metalhead kids producing a unique blend of heavy music that didn't neatly fit into either the hardcore or metal camps. They were, and are, almost like a metallic version of Jane's Addiction, when that band was at its best. With "Razed To The Ground", they're back in full stride, unleashing an album that sounds like what one might have expected had you listened to their self-titled debut 20 years ago. Their current output reveals a more mature and updated take on who they were in those early days. VISION OF DISORDER continues with its impressive display of ferocity and aggression. The only short coming with "Razed To The Ground" is that it doesn't boast the same kind of explosiveness and unrelenting rage that defined 1998's "Imprint". What they've matured into, though, is a band that retains a pummeling, lethal aspect. This aspect merges seamlessly with their melodic outpouring, which was most prominent previously on the hard rock-based album, 2001's "From Bliss to Devastation". Their melodies, musically and vocally, have never been this up front and memorable. "Nightcrawler" surprisingly sounds like VOD's take on the TYPE O NEGATIVE side project SEVENTH VOID, and "Electric Sky" is addictively hook-laden and passionate, propelled by Tim Williams's soaring melodies and Brendon Cohen's underrated, tight drum work. Expectations are high for this impressive, talented band, and they have, yet again, delivered just when the world of mainstream heavy music needs rejuvenation.
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