Noob Heavy

Disease Illusion have kept it somewhat quiet since they formed in 2006. This is their second LP since then. As you can probably tell by the band name and album title, they’re a band drenched in theme and their sound reflects that story telling. After The Storm exhibits a melancholic form of melodic death metal. It’s good for a night time jog or some introspective thinking as opposed to moshing or tearing a room apart – you might even do the exact opposite and methodically clean a room. There’s an emphasis on atmosphere and higher instrument tones. There’s a lack of crunch but handfuls of mood. This release separates its self from the old school death inspired melodic bands with what sounds like the presence of keys. The member listing doesn’t state that there is a keyboard player however which is a bit confusing. Perhaps it’s added digitally in post or is simply a guitar pedal effect. Either way it adds an extra layer to the sound where there would normally not be anything. As is standard for melo-death, the lead guitar and vocals take center stage and they do an exceptional job. I get a bit tired of how songs end a lot of the time, by cutting the beat and having an extended note outro the track. It’s a common trend with bands that want to do more complex playing but aren’t so confident constructing a song. The vocals are run of the mill expressive semi-growls and melodic shouts – at least until over half way through the album when we are introduced to a female clean vocalist on the track “Ain’t It Worthless”. It’s a nice surprise that doesn’t ruin the tone of the album and also doesn’t overstay its welcome, being isolated to that one track. It’s a pretty good choice to put it in the middle of the album, it’s not particularly long but the tracks feel lengthy, so a midway change of pace helps pad out the experience.When the album finished I was a little disappointed, I wanted it to continue or at least end in some grandiose fashion (again, practice ending boys). Instead it just played its last track followed by sudden silence. As far as melo-metal goes it’s not bland or uninspired. There’s a hint of metalcore keeping it fresh but not enough to declare it a crossover album. Lyrically it is sophisticated, discussing themes of emotions and relationships with a good amount of poetic rhyming and repetition. As a writer it’s nice to look at the lyrics for a metal album and find an overall theme or story. Their sound reflects this effectively. So, while it’s not the heaviest of styles, it is at least captivating and full of purpose. If they can work on improving their song structure – especially the outros – then they could be a much bigger band than they currently are.