21st September 2024

Review: “Self Titled” by Disorientation (3rd Anniversary)

Sometimes you hear a record and it’s simply so damn good that you are left with no alternative but to check out the bands prior convictions. That’s what happened when we heard “Survival Mode“, the sophomore EP from Montreal Quebec Canadian multi instrumentalist duo Disorientation which was released in December 2023 and the beauty of that is that we get the opportunity to return to the bands self titled debut from September 2021 for a third anniversary review. Mixed and mastered by Mario Lafleur at Quantum Studio and with additional backing vocals by Yves “Netherscream” Godbout the record is the work of Marie-Claude Fleury (vocals, oboe, guitar, drum programming) and her partner in crime Daniel Daris (guitars, bass, back vocals), who describe their project as one to take you down a path of troubling disarray, crippling misery and severe anguish you can’t escape from…

…while the duo describe themselves as being a DIY Dark Symphonic Metal act, there is a distinctly Avant-garde nature to this first collection that helps to set the duo apart from the Wolf pack of bands baying for blood and your attention. The recording is on the raw side, giving it the feel of 80’s Black and Death Metal records that were traded on cassette tape up and down the land, but what is wonderful about it is that despite that, it doesn’t mask any of the resplendence of the record. Opening cut “Breakdown” has a majestic schizophrenic quality to it with a nightmarish lyrical narrative and unhinged vocals that combine clean sung moments with the spoken word and blood curdling screams. Above the abrasive rhythm guitars, which have that free feeling of a one take recording, the oboe is effectively replacing the lead guitar in the duo’s sound and that gives it a wonderfully ominous and yet quirky quality that is a little disturbing.”Nature” has classic beauty and the beast vibes to it with some stunning choral vocals cutting against brutal screams, a Folk Metal passage of gentle guitars and oboe rising from one of the ferocious moments like the dawn of a new day after a savage beating from a loved one armed with a baseball bat. That transitions into an all out Death Metal finale with is simply skull crushing and the vision of how to get from one style to another within the confines of a single track is to be applauded. The third and final piece of this jigsaw puzzle is “Epilogue“, a gripping and emotive onslaught of stuccato riff breaks and vocal violence that feels like Fleury is gradually being torn limb from limb and crying out on perpetual agony while being prayed over by some Nuns in chorus, this song and indeed this whole record feels like you’re trapped inside the mind of Shelley Duvall in The Shining and is full of incredible ideas… [8/10]

Track Listing