ALBUM REVIEW: The Disconnect – Heart Of A Coward
For devoted fans of the Milton Keynes quintet the last few years since the release of their critically acclaimed Deliverance album and the departure of their commanding front man Jamie Graham have been pretty agonising. Kaan Tasan needs little introduction as he has impressed throughout his career with NO CONSEQUENCE but now it is finally time to see what he has brought to HEART OF A COWARD as the release of their fourth studio album The Disconnect draws near which will hit the airwaves on June 7th via Nuclear Blast Records. Will they be able to silence all the doubters?
Drown In Ruin sets high standards right out of the gate with potent intensity and rage fuelled screams. The groove ridden heaviness hits so hard you can feel it rattling your rib cage. Enticing chorus lines get proceedings off to an intriguing start. Ritual kicks the tempo up a notch with some swift riff work and an energy fuelled tempo. Soaring vocals send shivers up your spine as the soundscape is dowsed in melody. Most listeners will be pretty acquainted with Collapse by now but this doesn’t stop the addictive, bouncy tones getting your blood flowing like a shot of pure adrenaline. The track feels even more formidable amongst its colleagues.
Culture Of Lies comes dashing into your periphery with pulsing drums and sharp jabbing riffs. Alluring guitar work swarms in the background to enhance the mood. Another instance of alluring melody leaves its mark teeing up a jaw shattering breakdown. In The Wake maintains the momentum as waves of groove run rampant over the track. The chorus is simply intoxicating and is destined to be a fan favourite. Senseless surrounds you with it’s ominous tones before launching into further punishing instrumentation. The track continues to throw heavy hitting blows, refusing to run out of steam.
Return To Dust abruptly slams on the brakes completely taking you off guard with its calming ambience and solemn vibes. Soothing vocal lines and subtle lead work are introduced before the crunchy guitar tone of Suffocate resumes the frenzy. An energetic tempo washes over the track alongside invigorating pitched screams which exude all the qualities of recent ARCHITECTS material. The pummelling riffs work their magic before unleashing a breakdown of seismic proportions.
Parasite continues the onslaught with an initial tense atmosphere which tees up copious waves of boisterous riffs and venomous vocal lines. The raw aggression that flows throughout will undeniably get your head banging, especially when another destructive breakdown lays waste to anything within it’s radius. Isolation has no intentions of letting the album close without choking every atom of intensity out of it. Ferocious vocal blasts join forces with an emotionally charged chorus. The lyrical content is particularly empowering as the defiant bellowing of “you’re not in this alone” rings out over the track.
For anyone who remotely doubted the future of HEART OF A COWARD they will be eating humble pie after hearing The Disconnect. A lot of the existing palette remains but the introduction of Kaan to their ranks has provided a further level of diversity to proceedings. The underlying ambience and enticing tones throughout offer up many memorable moments and there is still an abundance of the intensity which has assisted in cementing the bands foundations for all these years. This is HEART OF A COWARD 2.0. They have come back refreshed, revitalised and ready to reclaim their perch aloft the UK metal scene.
Rating: 8/10
The Disconnect is out now via Arising Empire.
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