Betrayal – Disorder Remains
Release Date: 16th April 2021
Label: Rising Nemesis Records
Pre-Order
Genre: Modern Death Metal
FFO: Misery Index, Revocation, Behemoth, Death, and Decapitated style grooves.
Review By: The Demented Raven
We have a Death Metal band here who aren’t afraid to mix things up with genres – this band is Betrayal!
For such a heavy band specializing in “a brutal sound” we’re given an epic style Intro that you’d expect from the likes of Symphonic Metal. You are greeted with french horns and an orchestral score. This gets you pumped up for what the album has in store and is a well-fitting addition to the album which is not out of place.
Then the appropiately titled Rise kicks in. Which is as heavy as you’d expect. The intro gives you time to prepare for the signature sound that you expect from Betrayal themselves. A hotpot of various genres of metal with the outcome being Betrayal’s signature sound & version of Death Metal which works well.
Whilst containing the usual Death Metal tropes, Betrayal aren’t afraid to think outside the box and toss in their own spin of things. With the conclusion of Rise playing, you get the suspicion that a diverse range of sounds is on the horizon.
With their eagerness of diversity showing, War begins with chants but before anyone gets bored and think it’s all going to be the same tone, key, & fills. You get a significant sound change with the bridge which I felt was a grand addition to the song and really caught my attention for the rest of the track. It’s a common problem for bands to not think outside the box and for things to get repetitive and boring. This song truly evolves as it goes on.
Ghost of Mind is a complete change of pace in timestamps and really grabs your attention. The drums by Manuel Komander prove that he’s not just a one trick pony by tossing quick drum fills in, every oppertunity he can get. We also are given a very well-fitting solo here as the reverb gives it that bit more atmosphere in the track which is a welcome addition.
If you’re wanting a straight, in your face, no holds barred song then The Manifest is it. Unapologitic fast fills and heavy riffs await. It’s very fitting for the song itself as it is given a much more sinister vibe than the rest of the album so far which is also giving much lower growls by the vocalist, really showing his vocal range. This track intrigues me for the darker vibes alone, I really enjoyed this one.
With Lost Promises we’re back to the signature sound. Nothing screams out to me so far but I get actual Lamb of God vibes with this one with the guitar riff harmonies but much more intense. After The Manifest, I feel we’ve taken a step back with this track.
Devouring Nothingness gives you hope after Lost Promises. Another darker spin full of energy and impressive solos. Betrayal are back in their game! Just when you think they’ll fall back to a generic Death Metal sound, they keep you guessing by throwing in more surprises, especially of a sinister variety! This was also an impressive one! Very reminiscent of Death Metal (And Melodic Death Metal) bands who take the darker sound but toss in their own flavour to keep listeners on their toes!
Now we have the album title-track, Disorder Remains. Your standard Death Metal track with Betrayal sounds laced through which gives it promise, otherwise it’d be pretty bland but with the solo and the unpredictable note changes, it gives it the life it needs to stand out and make it its own. Holding out to the extended solo section makes it all worth it as it fits in perfectly, it’s a journey in itself then the vocals by Alex Burkl kick in the background which then concludes the song with a surprising piano solo which blends perfectly. I’m actually surprised that they didn’t end the album with this track as it defenitly suits being a conclusion track.
The band clearly didn’t want this however, as we hare given a mellow track next in the form of acoustic guitars called Chaos Reigns which then includes distorted vocals by Alex. An interesting addition to the album and again, Betrayal being unpredictable once again. I still feel Disorder Remains should be a final track though, as Chaos Reigns seems misplaced. It however, is pretty much an introduction to Dooming Diversions which has an intro to get you pumped up after Chaos Reigns but also the confusing conclusion of Disorder Remains. This track sounds like it’d be a perfect live number. It has all the ingredients to make it so, apart from that. It is Betrayal to a tee however, and it does start to drag as it goes on.
Insanity is next and the all the riffs & notes capture that term perfectly. It’s different, it’s outside the box and I think the best part is the sudden brief acoustic section which was shortlived, as a burst of heavy madness is then thrown at you without warning. They really took that song title seriously. I give them props for how much it took me by surprise and their creativity with the theme of this track.
Then finally we have Greed & Oblivion. A song that seems more fitting for the middle of the album. It ticks all the boxes but to be honest, this one wasn’t enough to grab my attention like the other tracks. Not that it was bad and it wasn’t even bland. I just felt like this fell under the “Mid Album Tier” section where you’re surrounded by filler tracks, even though I didn’t get filler vibes with this one. The ending is a good throwback to the intro of the album because they end the guitars fading into white noise and bring back the brass instruments – which were included in the introduction. However, I feel they included those just to say that they’ve given it a fitting ending (and to match the introduction). I still strongly feel that Disorder Remains should have been the final track, that ends well and didn’t even need the brass outro, despite it being a nice touch.
Overall, this was an interesting album. Every time I thought I’d get bored, the band would change up their sound and diversity to once again, capture my attention. This album is full of promise and is one that I feel that Death Metal fans of multiple varients should give a chance! There were no real filler tracks and the album flowed perfectly except when the title track came into play, I feel a mix up of the track listening from that half of the album would have been a good shout!
Betrayal themselves aren’t afraid to think outside the box. Whilst they remain faithful to the Death Metal genre, they aren’t afraid to put Death Metal to the test and push it as far as they can go. They also aren’t afraid to toss in elements of old, new death metal and elements of others to craft the sound they use to this day! Modern Death Metal can be seen as a mixed bag from fans of the genre itself but when done right, it gives people that bit more faith that in this day and age, Death Metal can still truely shine but also have a few surprises so that it doesn’t end up predictable and boring.
(4 / 5)
