Disiplin - Anti-Life [2005]

Band: Disiplin
Album: Anti-Life
Genre: Black Metal
Release year: 2005
Label: Moonfog Productions
Homepage: http://www.wolf-axis.com/

After quitting Myrkskog in 2000, General K amassed his troops and orchestrated Disiplins eponymous first effort. 2003s "Disiplin" was a simply, yet effective black metal album, not treading new ground, but doing what it did and doing it well. The follow-up, Anti-Life, marked the entrance of a different beast, if a beast at all.

The first track, "Orthodox Devil Worship", starts off with a seemingly endless sample of some Serbian (or something) guy talking and laughing. The instruments join the syncopated fray, and soon transforms into a powerful, chunky riff-fest. Not exactly what we've come to expect from Disiplin, or black metal in general, but it surely works, and the pace quickens after this. So far General K is in shape, and vocalist Jonas Ausslavia snarls spiteful. But ach! This pleasant surprise doesn't last long before a misplaced and decidedly weak, Mötley Crüeesque chorus marks its arrival. The whole song goes downhill from here, the chunky pieces are dull and a sour taste of disappointment finds its place.

Next comes the second, and most accessible song, "Feed the Fucker to the Dogs". It's somewhat comparable to Lamb of Gods "Redneck". Above middle paced, catchy but somewhat forgettable nonetheless. It's a nice change after the fuckfest that was "Orthodox Devil Worship" though. The third, and undoubtedly best and most blackened, track is the albumtitled "Anti-Life". Finally, General K gets hold of his battleformations and spits out a decent, crushing black metal song. A mainriff that rolls over you like a German tank and a nice dissonant middlepiece with added tremolo picking. Finally, something good from start to end!

- And unfortunately the last. The rest of the tracks are mainly filler, with occasional interesting parts, as "Kill at Wills" 20 second blastbeat frenzy. "The Arsonist Academy" could've been a nice, thrashy anthem, had it not been ruined by the unwelcome feature that is Nattefrost, and the sub-par execution of the cliché, and yet entertaining chorus. "Kosmos Reversum" is the last halfway decent track, but unfortunately, it falls into the same trap as most of the album. Nattefrost makes another pisspoor appearance on "Pesticide - Swallow Your Own Shit", which is basically a bad Carpathian Forest song.

Most of this album is completely forgettable, and not listenworthy. Safe for the few first tracks, nothing new is brought to the table here. Disiplin boldly experiments on "11", which is a sort of cool track, reminiscing the works of Stillborn, but unfortunately doesn't fit anywhere. Lastly, album closer "Chaos Triumphator" is an almost 6 minute long noise/sample, that is the equivalent of getting the static noise-cock of a nonworking radio stuck in your ear. This track, paired with Disiplins previous flirting with fascism (check out the cover of their first album, "Disiplin") gives a pointer to Disiplins future, marking a complete departure from metal, and their journey into fascistic noise.

General K should be stripped of his stars, and Nattefrost? That fucker should've been fed to the dogs.

2/5

Andreas "Beerfast cereals!" Damgaard