Review of Illdisposed - To Those Who Walk Behind Us

My very first exposure to Denmark's godfathers of chunky but melodic death metal was when I reviewed 2008's The Prestige in these very pages. I have since gone back and checked out and enjoyed much of the band's catalog (Notably 1997's There’s Something Rotten in the State of Denmark), so when this showed up in the reservation queue, I grabbed it right away.

You know exactly what you are getting with an Illdisposed record; super chunky, uber groovy death metal with some melody and Bo Summer’s layered incendiary vocals. And in 2009 particularly, don’t expect any sort of complex, technical mind fuckery or arpeggios as Illdisposed is much more about blunt force trauma than trying to blow you away with skill and speed.

Starting with “Blood on Your Parade,” (with a killer main riff that could have come from Edge of Sanity’s Infernal), the album marches with steady purposeful gait and drive, using a robust guitar tone that makes no pretenses or excuses for what it is. No blast beats, just an unwavering dedication to massive grooves and subtle melodies and solos. Like a pretty pink bulldozer, Illdisposed plough their way through 11 tracks (including a retooled, surprisingly savage version of Fine Young Cannibal’s “Johnny Come Home”) of diesel fueled, head banging heft. Each track is a no frills steady exercise in neck snapping enjoyment - from the heft filled “For the Record” and ”Just Come and Get Me,” subtly somber “Sale at the Misery Factory” (even with its strange folk closing), super chunky title track, and moody rumble of closer “Nu Gik Det Lige Så Godt,” the album just delivers meat n' potatoes enjoyment. That all being said, its not hitting as well or staying with me as long as The Prestige did or some of the other albums I've gone back and checked out.

What’s disappointing is that the band is still label hopping after all these years and as a result, I doubt many media types and fans were even aware there was a new album out - I certainly wasn’t. And so Illdisposed still seems to be steadily lurking in the underground producing quality metal album after album that puts much of the pre-packaged, Hot Topic driven larger label releases to shame.

Release Details

Illdisposed

To Those Who Walk Behind Us

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