DIVINE DISORDER - GARDEN OF DYSTOPIA REVIEW
Album: Garden of Dystopia
Band: Divine Disorder
Release Date: November 3rd, 2014
Label: Inazuma Productions
Reviewer: Habib T
Powerful, heavy, melodic, and spun with an air of dark
intrigue and fantasy, the debut album “Garden of Dystopia” by Kuwait-based band
Divine Disorder is a killer album. Metal fans who lived in Kuwait will recognize a few of them played for disbanded industrial metal band Positive Poison (Ed's note: major throwback).
Featuring a wide array of guest musicians, the album pushes the envelope even
further for metal in the Middle East. The album was mixed by Jens Bogren of
Fascination Street Studios and was mastered by Brett Caldas-Lima of Tower Studio. Suffocation’s Kevin Talley
plays the drums on this album.
The opening
track “Pandora’s Codex” opens with beautiful violins and choir vocals which
build up to a heavy start with torrential drums, and an awesome guitar solo by Christofer
Malmstrom of Darkane. Clean vocals by George Eliassen are also featured on this
track. The following song “Children of Menace” is of even a heavier caliber as
it boasts a Death Metal-style opening complete with heavy riffs and drumming,
paired with cool synths and epic choir vocals. Karl Sanders of Nile lays down a
brilliant solo in the second half of it, and it is a song worth headbanging to,
even as it slows down towards its end.
Another track worthy of note is “The Arcanist”, an even more dystopian and melodic track full of malefice, which has two brilliant guitar solos, the first by the late Shane Gibson (Korn) and the second by Karl Sanders. The drums on this track are particularly wonderful, and its ending is quit eerie. If there is one track with a memorable opening riff on this album, it would be “The Puppeteer”. Another powerful song with an emphasis on drumming, riffs, and growls, and also has clean vocals by Norwegian musician Dan-Elias Brevig.
Another track worthy of note is “The Arcanist”, an even more dystopian and melodic track full of malefice, which has two brilliant guitar solos, the first by the late Shane Gibson (Korn) and the second by Karl Sanders. The drums on this track are particularly wonderful, and its ending is quit eerie. If there is one track with a memorable opening riff on this album, it would be “The Puppeteer”. Another powerful song with an emphasis on drumming, riffs, and growls, and also has clean vocals by Norwegian musician Dan-Elias Brevig.
The 8th
song on the album, “Animus” has some killer vocals, synth, and guitars, and
features a guitar solo by Achokarlos and
the input of a cool instrument called the Theremin, operated by Kip Rosser. Erez Yohanan also does Sound FX on this track. The 11th and final track “Rusted Libra” is the
lengthiest on the album, playing out over 9 minutes of the sound that defines
Divine Disorder’s Orchestral Death Metal style and approach to music. It
features the clean vocals of Egan O’Rourke (Daylight Dies) and Dan-Elias
Brevig, as well as the narration of Carlos Alvarez. It also has two great guitar
solos by Yossi Sassi (Orphaned Land) and Gus Drax, in addition to a Duduk solo
by Gevorg Dabaghyan and a violin solo by Elle Torry. It is a beautiful ending
to a great album.
On a sad note, Korn guitarist Shane Gibson, who contributed to this album, never got to see it in its fully-produced form before his passing in April 2014. It is a great additon to the list of works that would immortalize him as a talented and brilliant musician.
This 11-track album
is definitely a treat for lovers of various genres of metal, from Death Metal
to Power Metal. The cover art by Strychneen Studios also fits directly into the
album’s lyrical themes. It has great work on the production and getting all
these musicians together in what seems to resemble more the work of a
supergroup than it does that of a band. Divine Disorder (as well as their guest
musicians) have surely outdone themselves and defined a new sound for the
region’s emerging metal scene.
8/10
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