Spread the Disease, once a frenetic Canadian metalcore band, has returned with a new album, The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering., marking a reunion that has left fans both excited and somewhat underwhelmed. The band's earlier work, particularly their 1998 debut We Bleed From Many Wounds and 1999's The Sheer Force of Inertia, is celebrated for its chaotic and intense sound, blending elements of metalcore, electronic, and black metal. However, the question remains: can Spread the Disease recapture the caustic vitriol of their earlier days?
The new album, while not a maximalist, mathy affair, offers a more straightforward fusion of second-wave black metal and 2000s metalcore. The band's determination to play it angrily is evident, with each song carrying an exciting sense of momentum. The opener, "Light Opaque," sets the formula, alternating between meaty tremolo passages and classic At the Gates riffing. "Gods and Politics" weaves blackened leads and blast sections with classic hardcore moves, while the lead single "Indoctrinated" unleashes a blistering array of icy riffcraft, reminiscent of Anaal Nathrakh.
However, despite the variety and aggression, the album feels like a collection of impressive elements that don't quite coalesce into something greater. Spread the Disease knows how to pack these songs with well-constructed, pissed-off riffs, but some ideas linger too long, with certain riffs feeling like boilerplate black metal or cliché metalcore. The longer runtimes, while effective, can occasionally dwindle, especially when a repetitive tremolo riff overstays its welcome.
The album does make some considerations for flow, with short interludes and a shift in the blackened hardcore milieu on the B-side. "Intermezzo I" is a brief harsh noise piece, while "Intermezzo II" takes a more ambient approach. "Outro" closes the album with a somber sound collage, and the final two "main" tracks offer a different spin on the band's formula, with "Summer Wanes" leaning into a more Zao-like assault and "The Blight in Their Eyes" opening up into a sludgy second half.
In my opinion, The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering. is an intriguing piece of blackened hardcore, with plenty of fun ideas and aggression. However, it's missing the oomph and considered songwriting needed to tie everything together. Fans of the band's early material will likely enjoy the album, and it's undeniably cool to hear Spread the Disease sounding this venomous after so many years. Yet, beneath the frost, blasts, and nonstop riffing, the album strikes me as merely average. A nasty reunion, certainly, but not quite a triumphant one.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hypaethral Records (https://hypaethralrecords.com/)
Websites: spreadthedisease.bandcamp.com (https://spreadthedisease.bandcamp.com/?searchitemid%3D3451688309%26searchitemtype%3Db%26searchmatchpart%3D%253F%26searchpageid%3D5557047865%26searchpageno%3D0%26searchrank%3D1=) | instagram.com/spreadthediseaseofficial (https://www.instagram.com/spreadthedisease_official/)
