11th April 2022

Review: “Disorder” by La Nausée

“Now that rehearsals are possible again, the first thing on the agenda is getting together as a band and work on a live set so we can get on stage in front of a real live audience! There is a bunch of raw material ready to work with, so we will head to the studio whenever we feel like recording it. The same way BATTERING RAM came to be, very impulsively, I want to avoid too much planning and overthinking. If it feels right we’ll hit that record button. If we feel like certain songs should be released, we will do so, be it as a full album or another EP” ~ La Nausée

Nine months ago after the release of their debut EP “Battering Ram“, we spoke exclusively to Ghent Belgium based Sludge Metal outfit La Nausée in interview and the answer to the question about what was next for them has come to fruition surprisingly quickly with sophomore EP “Disorder“. Not only inspired by Belgian bands like Stake, Drums Are For Parades and Raketkanon (who regularly played their hometown), but also influenced by international acts Iron Monkey, Black Tusk and Deftones their debut release was an absolute whirlwind that fell between Metallic Hardcore and Sludge Metal like a OJ Simpson’s hand into a glove.

The In-your-face-Sludge Metal onslaught has not tired or grown slack in those few months and the search for the truth behind a wall of misinformation fed to us via those in power shows how end as La Nausée charge headlong into traffic with “Breaking Power“. Those caustic and yet perfectly listenable vocals are as grating as ever while the pit friendly riffs and clean crisp drum sound are the perfect mechanism for getting the socially and politically aware lyrics across. The vocals are pure cathartic vent with issues and metaphors a plenty with the Crowbar styled power of it all making for something instantly gratifying, the headbangable riffs that close the crushing “In Stone” being as high grade as you could possibly desire. While the title of the record makes one think “Chaos and Disorder“, there isn’t an ounce of Chaos here on the record with the band continuing the rhythmic pounding prowess and mid tempo crush that they brought to the King’s table previously and it works because the cuts are kept short and sweet the title track being the longest at just 191 seconds. After all, what is a battering ram if not a blunt force truama when it cracks you over the skull? The tempo rises with the temperature in “Voracity” with pure venom spitting vocals that sees the band head in the direction of the Noise Metal of Will Haven for a vicious little ditty before the polyrhythmic bounce of some more complex riffs unexpectedly appear for the finale that is “Ripper” which is an intriguing powerhouse. Greater than the sum of its parts it has a cinematic moment early on before a slow crushing almost down tempo ending that is a stone cold winner [7/10]

Track listing