Published on Aug 6, 1999
Often, when a band models their sound after another group who
has enjoyed some level of success, the end result is one that is
not as satisfying as the original. And what is sad about this is
that the newer band usually had enough strength to stand on their
own.
Take Human Disorder, for example. One listen to their disc
Ugly Modern Aggression, and you’d almost swear that you were
listening to Pantera – only they’re not as good as Pantera. For a
band that underwent a transformation while recording this album, it
almost sounds like we’re listening to a work in progress, and that
shouldn’t be what a debut disc should sound like.
The band – lead vocalist Scott Bowen, lead vocalist/guitarist
Jay Taillefer, guitarist Tim Letkemann, bassist Keith Gillam and
drummer Joe Lavergne – seems like they’re earnest enough, pounding
away on their instruments with vigor and screaming as if their
vocal chords were caught in a paper shredder. Sometimes, on cuts
like the title track and “Head On,” this approach works well.
Unfortunately for Human Disorder, after a while, the listener
might find themselves saying, “Been there, done that.” Tracks like
“No Prisoner,” Puzzled” and “Crash” all tend to run into each
other, failing to distinguish themselves to the listener. Even
tracks that do make themselves stand out, like “Everybody Fuck,”
are garbled terribly with vocals that are shouted at maximum
volume. Sorry, gang, that doesn’t always work.
And, yes, often it feels like you’re listening to a poor man’s
Pantera. The guitar crunch is there, the drum work is there, and
the tongue-on-sandpaper guttural screams are there. But what Human
Disorder fails to do often enough is to take the sound and mold it
into its own unique flavor. Granted, they’re a young band who have
recently taken the more intense road. But if they’re going to want
to keep the attention of the listeners, they’re going to need to
adjust their music and songwriting until they have turned the sound
into their own.
Human Disorder is still a band that is discovering who they are;
it’s too bad that
Ugly Modern Aggression documents that slow process.