Fragments of D-Generation

Considering how much I hate how uniform, soulless and manufactured for the Gothenburg scene, I should really fucking hate this. But for every 100 melodeath bands that are a Gothenburg trio knockoff, there will be one that is not confined by their genre's strict guidelines and carve something new and refreshing by playing with the rules, and Disarmonia Mundi is that band (Until Mind Tricks and Cold Inferno happened, Isolation is okay).

One thing that sets this album apart compared to their later output is the production, it sounds more raw and despairful even without the lyrics, the cover art did not help either with it looking something straight out of a nuclear fallout juxtaposed against a sunset. Another thing that sets it apart are the inclusion of keyboards. Remember that this was 2004, when keyboards were not even on the radars of melodeath/metalcore bands, so even if you really hate them, you have to admit they were innovative and ahead of their time.

The album begins with an ambient intro before gradually getting louder and finally start blasting riffs into the listener, it quickly establishes how the general structure of the album within its first song "Common State of Inner Violence" and I was preparing to leg it the moment I hear any repetition from the second song onwards. But it did not happen, every song sounds similar enough to one another but the riffs, solos, and delivery are all different, as if they held onto what little prog influence they had left between Nebularium and this album before ditching all of the prog elements in Mind Tricks. This aspect of the album is at its peak in Oceangrave where instead of lead riff being played by a guitar, it was done by a keyboard, and not like most prog keyboards, this one sounds like the electronic keyboard that could be used by a generic metalcore keyboardist that would not pick up an instrument until a decade has passed after this came out.

Speaking of different from the rest, one thing I never seen being mentioned by any reviewer of this album is the atmospheric clean choruses, and given that this took cues from Gothenburg melodeath (aka the shitty fast food equivalent of metal music, bad for your wallet, bad for your health and stomach), I was NOT expecting this kind of approach on this album. The atmospheric part comes from the laid back guitars paired with the weirdly filtered clean vocals and keyboards to create this ethereal feeling to the music that honestly should have been kept by the band as some sort of a unique gimmick of the band, maybe it could redeem Mind Tricks instead of leaving it as a steaming hot pile of garbage as it is. Weirdly enough, the atmospheric clean choruses being sing-a-long able also help the songs, to me it mainly serves as a breather for the listener after all the frantic riffs that were present during the rest of the songs, the choruses sound older and less whiny does help too.

The instrumentation is also surprisingly pretty well rounded considering that this was 2004 and mostly done by one person, with the exception of the bassist, and said instrumentalist also mastered/mixed the album too? Colour me impressed, considering how terrible mixing can be for melodeath bands in general even if they hired someone dedicated to mix and master the album, although being mixed by the same guy who did most of the instruments has something to do with that (oh hello Intestine Baalism).

Continuing on instrumentation, despite being mostly done by one person, the riffs and solos here are pretty tasteful given its age, I've heard many modern melodeath albums (including the newer Gothenburg trio albums) with worse quality, songwriting, and creativity than this album, the solos sound way better than what ATG can create nowadays, and the drumming is also very good for a (mostly) one man band that does not use a drum machine. The bass here is also pretty audible, having an actual bassist instead of Ettore handling all the instruments might have helped, even if the bass sounds cold and mechanical, instead of virtuosic approach of prog bassists. Its honestly wild how a small prog influence can turn an album based on a wildly reviled genre into something genuinely respectable.

If you like the Gothenburg stuff (what an appalling appetite), pick this up. If you hate the Gothenburg stuff with rage stronger than a thousand suns, pick this up. This album is a very good example of a Gothenburg-esque album that does not suck, and a good what-if perspective for a Gothenburg melodeath that decide to pick up some of the more proggy NWOBHM stuff instead of pandering to popheads. Its sad that after this album, whatever prog influence they have are gone, fully succumbed to the allure of radio success and become assimilated to the Gothenburg hivemind. If I have to offer another line of advice here, it would be: Do not touch any of their albums after this.

Disarmonia Mundi is a very polarizing band in the melodeath scene. Some people love the aggression and fast pace that their newer songs have, while others find them either laughable or just plain nothing special. Their debut album, Nebularium, is a fantastic progressive death metal album that works because of its artistic depth. Their third album, Mind Tricks, would introduce an unapologetic blistering and hyper-aggressive sound that would draw many fans into their works- myself included. Fragments of D-Generation is a bit of a transitional album that falls in the middle, yet doesn't do either. That doesn't make it terrible- if anything, some of its moments even outshine Mind Tricks. Unfortunately, there are a few big flaws with the album.

Firstly, the guitars have a nice punch, and they're quite clean-sounding, but nothing ever really sticks. While this is a problem in terms of sounds for every Disarmonia Mundi album except Nebularium, it's a lot more egregious here because the playing isn't usually anything memorable. There are exceptions, like "Red Clouds" and "Morgue of Centuries", but they're few and far between. The lyrics here aren't anything special. Gone is the clever writing from Nebularium, which is arguable in and of itself, though we aren't quite at the nihilistic, angry, and edgy lyrics from Claudio quite yet. Their former vocalist, Benny Bianco Chinto, wrote the lyrics here, which explains the grammatical errors in the translation. That much isn't really an issue for me, but I know that it can be for others. The production here is also... Well, 'fuzzy-sounding'. I don't really know how else to describe it. Ettore would later clean things up far too much come Mind Tricks, and that would end up becoming the norm.

As for some positives about the sound, the drums are fantastic. They get a bit buried in the mix sometimes, but that isn't really an issue, as the guitars actually do sound good in those instances. Björn Strid is the main vocalist here, with Ettore and Claudio getting backing roles, plus the occasional guest appearance from Chinto. For those who love Soilwork and/or hate Claudio's vocals, this is a big plus. I personally like Claudio's vocals in subsequent albums, so the lack of variety here is a bit disappointing, though Björn does a good job here. If you don't like Soilwork, well, skip this. Many people compare this album to Natural Born Chaos, which I feel is only half fair. The vocals, pacing, and song structure are certainly comparable, but I'd say that both albums are different and distinct enough otherwise. It's certainly a matter of preference of which you like more. Some say that this album is superior to that one, others call this 'Soilwork-lite'. I'm personally not on either side.

Half of the album is good, but not great. Everyone will have their preferences, give or take a few songs that are nearly unanimously agreed upon as standouts. This is also the first time that they would have the 'verse/chorus/verse/chorus' formula, and it doesn't work too well just yet. The sound just doesn't complement that type of writing. "Morgue of Centuries" is a great song that works with the sound. It has staying power, particularly with the chorus and riffs. "Oceangrave" has some nice electronics and an overall 'groove' to it that works well with the guitars. The solo here is also nice, and Ettore's vocals add for some variety too. "Come Forth My Dreadful One" is the closest song to anything from Natural Born Chaos, and the parts of the song that stand out the most are the chorus, which has a nice melody, and the fast-paced first verse that hints at what's to come in Mind Tricks. "Colors of a New Era" makes for a great closer, and it embodies all of the positive qualities of Fragments while avoiding its trappings.

However, the best song on the album by far is "Red Clouds". It takes everything that Nebularium was, and it compresses it into the modern, straightforward Disarmonia Mundi sound. It works surprisingly well too! The guitarwork is especially better here, as it feels like it was written by completely different people. The guitars themselves sound much better too, and that can be said for the entirety of the production on this song. The 'fuzziness' is pretty much gone, and the vocals come in clearer here than on any other song on the album. It's evident that they knew this would be *the* single from the album- they even made a video for it, which we wouldn't see for any other song aside from "Celestial Furnace" in Mind Tricks and one of the songs from the upcoming album. And frankly speaking, I think they made the right bet here. Of course, there will inevitably be some people who don't like the song, but this is definitely the one that both fans of Nebularium and fans of the newer works can actually agree upon as being great.

Fragments of D-Generation certainly has its charm, and it's a shame that only half of the album excels and provides the album some identity in the midst of Disarmonia Mundi's discography. If you like Nebularium, you might find something to like here, but you might not. The same can be said for those who love Mind Tricks. I'd like to say that the album's problems would be fixed with better production, but that isn't quite it. The guitars are definitely what let the album down the most, and that's a shame. If there was better writing instrumentally, it could very well have either excused the overall sound and lack of staying power, or it could've actually complemented the guitar sound and made it work. A lot of love and passion was put into this album, make no mistake. Just watching the videos of the making of the album shows just how much fun they had. It seemed very natural if anything. Somehow, the product of it all feels both very of its time and very behind its time in both many positive and negative aspects. In terms of Disarmonia Mundi's discography, it struggles to find an identity because it's the transitional phase from Nebularium to Mind Tricks, the latter of which would cement their future direction. It doesn't necessarily fail in any regard, its low points are just "good", which is why I've rated it this high. However, it also doesn't excel in any regard either, minus "Red Clouds".

Tracks To Recommend: Red Clouds (Best song without a doubt), Morgue of Centuries, Oceangrave, Come Forth My Dreadful One, Colors of a New Era.
Tracks To Avoid: None of them are particularly bad, the low points are just "good, but kinda forgettable". It's very much a matter of preference, and I don't expect too many people to love the same lineup of songs that I do.

To sum up this album in one quick sentence, It'd be the superior alter ego of Soilwork, which is more than fitting with Bjorn "Speed" Strid on vocals. The reason that I consider this to be Fragments of "G" Generation is because of the enormous Gothenburg influence. It's not exactly as overflowing as Gothenburg classics such as The Gallery or The Jester Race, but the "Gothenburg" elements are certainly there, and not watered down like 80% of the melodeath in the 2000's. Many Swedish melodeath bands can't seem to pull this off anwhere past '97, which is sad, but this 2004 Italian release manages to pull off a classic in every sense of the word.

This is where Disarmonia Mundi would start pulling out their melodeath side, and I can say that it worked wonders for them. Nebularium was simply to "proggy" for it's own good. Riggoti simply shines better with melodic death metal esque riffage. This is where they'd start writing simpler tracks with a verse, chorus, bridge/solo, etc, and that actually works alot better.

The album contains everything a "Gothenburg" classic needs: Fast paced chops and shreds, leads that will soothe the living piss out of you in a proficient manner that's not too "show offy", well timed, precise, blisterring drumwork, and a few added materials such as a combination of deep gutteral barks and high pitched shrieks, and clean harmonies thorughout each track. Nearly every moment of this album wreaks of professionalism.

The album, guitarwise demonstrates a fairly good blend of diverse riffing in a way that leaves nothing to be desired. From the sweet lead harmonies in "Come Forth My Dreadful One", to the blistering chops in "Swallow the Flames", to the Soilwork esque solos in "Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams". The clean vocal choruses don't fail in this sense either. The very anthem - like "Colors of a New Era", the glossy, electronic influenced "Oceangrave", so on, so forth. Strid's cleans resemble Natural Born Chaos era Soilwork, though abit more somber, and droning, (not the bad kind of droning) especially noticable on "Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams", as well as "Colors of a New Era". They wouldn't get "Figure Number Five"ish until Mind Tricks. Riggoti's cleans are used less than Strid's, but they have their appearances, particularly in "Morgue of Centuries", and "A Mirror Behind" They are lighter, and abit "nasally", (Alot of Italian vocalists seem to have this trait) ,but that's not a major issue, they're just not as good as Strid's.

The keyboard work is more in the electronic vein than anything. In most of the tracks, they leave an ambient kind of tone, touching lightly on the rest of the music. In tracks such as "Oceangrave", they become more apparent, creating an electro pop influenced backtrack (not a bad thing at all) In tracks such as "Morgue of Centuries", they're are all over the place and hard to ingore. It even gets it's own section after the second chorus, creating one of the most atmopsheric moments on the album.

There are a few gripes that I have with the record, the main one being the sound production. Seriously? This is supposed 2004 era production? Nope. To put it simply, it sounds too "buzzy" and just feels like it was rushed. The other problem is that while the clean vocal choruses are good, they pale in comparison to Mind Tricks and The Isolation Game. All in all, it's not a big deal. You'll get past it after a few good minutes. After all, records with much shittier quality than this have been just as good in my eyes... I mean ears.

The album lacks a few characteristics that many listeners will look for in an album and that is... well.. "character" It's an album that doesn't bring in the thickest of atmospheres. Describing the sound and feel of the album "emotionally" is abit of a pain, which is odd, because I love this album to death. One thing I CAN say about this album is that it has "energy" It's the kind of album where you can play it out loud as sort of your "theme", if your theme is showing how much of a badass you are without seeming dull or genric. You can sort of bring out the brutallity you have, while at the same time flaunting a hint of melody and mysticism. This makes little sense, I know.

This record doesn't exactly push any boundaries as far as melodic death metal is concerned, but it does refine the genre to an extent, almost like taking an older model of a car, and making the same car, but with better wheels, and engine, but a shittier paint job (production quality) If you can consider yourself a "melodeath addict" , then this is a must have. Certainly a "classic" in my eyes. Highly recommended to fans of Soilwork above all.

Favorites: Come Forth My Dreadful One, Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams, Oceangrave, A Mirror Behind

First thing that hit any and all individuals who listen to this album is how similar to Soilwork's material this is. If this didn't struck you, than you probably don't know Soilwork. When I say similar to Soilwork, it's not just a little. I used to make my friends listen to this and ask them what band they thought it was, every single one of them would say Soilwork. This record is not just similar to anything Soilwork released between 2001 and 2005, it is shameless Soilwork worship. This is not a bad thing though. Often bands who try to emulate other bands sound end up becoming a very mediocre soulless copy of the band they try to resemble. A good example of this would be Dimension Zero, the Swedish band that really just sounds way too much like Children Of Bodom, but without the song-writing and feel of Children Of Bodom. Here, with Fragments Of D-Generation we have a completely different story. Disarmonia Mundi actually write stuff that is just as good as what Soilwork used to write in the end of the 90's and the beginning of the 2000's.

Good Gothenburg metal relies on simple melodic riffs, good leads, hooks, beautiful emotional vocals screamed, shouted or clean vocals. And Disarmonia Mundi does this perfectly. I wouldn't say they do it as well as other big guns of the genre such as Dark Tranquillity or Soilwork, but they put it together well enough to write memorable songs.

Like all the bands from the melodic death metal and Gothenburg metal scene though, they are facing a really persistent problem. Their music kind of feels generic at some points. This kind of music is based on very simple structures and rarely ever steps out of these boundaries. While the riffs are well-written and performed well with a good production, it immediately feels like déjà vu when you hear the clean vocals chorus kicking in for the first time on Morgue of Centuries. We all know this right. Palm-muted heavy riffs with the harsh vocals for the verses, than clean and melodic guitars with the clean vocals for the chorus. The keyboards are used in such way that these contrasting sections are made even more obvious to spot. But does that make it any bad? No, because like I've stated before, they do it well. This is just like listening to Twisted Sisters. No matter how predictable and cheesy it is, you still like it and sing-along. The songs are well put together and are very coherent. The build-ups and hooks are all at the good places and the chorus are catchy. No matter how generic, Disarmonia Mundi still manages to deliver a solid performance here and play some refreshing Gothenburg metal.

However, this album ends up lacking in personality because of all the similarities it shares with Soilwork’s early 2000’s material. The vocals are practically identical. The shouted vocals, the harsh vocals, the clean vocals, everything Björn Strid ever did with Soilwork, you will find it on Disarmonia Mundi’s 2004 effort. The production is very similar and the guitars are tuned almost exactly like they were on Natural Born Chaos and Figure Number Five by their Swedish alter ego. Bottom-line, Fragments of D-Generation has to lose some points for the lack of originality.

Still, this is not a bad album. It’s worth the listening and if you are a fan of Soilwork or Gothenburg metal in general, this will definitely be one of your favorites. Great energy, catchiness, good build-ups and hooks are what make this record interesting. The downsides are the lack of originality and sometimes generic song-writing. My personal favorite tracks are Morgue of Centuries, Quicksand Symmetry and Oceangrave.

If you dislike modern melodic death metal, then you’ll hate this album. If you dislike harsh verses and clean choruses in straightforward songs, then you’ll probably not like this album. If you dislike polished, loud production and Björn Strid from Soilwork, then you’ll hate this album. Obviously, Fragments Of D-Generation appeals to the niche of fans that like their metal easy on the ears while still delivering some kind of heaviness and melody that warrants instant gratification. These listeners also want something memorable, which Disarmonia Mundi more or less delivers with these ten tracks. They’re all one-dimensional tracks, but if that’s what you want then there’s nothing here that isn’t in plain sight or sound.

Ettore Rigotti is the reason this album is worth anything at all. I say that because his drumming still manages to be the performance that does more for the rhythm than anything else does for itself on this album. The fills, double bass assaults, and frantic beatings of his on the echoing, vibrant drum kit of this album is probably the strongest point of Disarmonia Mundi’s sound. This drumwork gets buried under the heavy production and mixing of the other instruments, but to me it’s the reason that he’s still valuable at all. He made sure this was the album that’d ditch the progressive death metal leanings of the debut album, a phenomenal piece of work I might add, in favor or catchy song after catchy song. Rigotti sacrifices depth and reason for potential hits one after the other. In this regard, Fragments Of D-Generation is the go-to Disarmonia Mundi album of exhausted ideas within the realm of catchy, modern melodic death. Very few songs have soul, but they all have the same characteristics that’ll make them what they are: direct, chorus-fueled riff frenzies. The riffs come from a guitar tone that defines modern – very sharp and loud, with a bite that’s immediate but not so lasting. It chugs, it ruptures, and it rings, but it’s still modern, and it’s still played without much of a backbone.

Rigotti handles most of the guitar duties, including solos that are hit or miss, even if every one of them is a breath of fresh air from the mundane riffs. The riffs remain modern, but the leads lean toward the usual Iron Maiden worship. Much of these leads, however, don’t have a lot of affluence since the compositions themselves aren’t that prodigious. Everything is loud, polished, and clear as any well-produced album would allow, but there are only rare instances of genuine intensity, fervor, and stirring atmosphere. Songs like “Oceangrave” are the prime examples of songwriting that’s catchy, purposeful, and rich by the standards of the album. The blend of opulent atmosphere, hazy riffs, climactic leads, catchy harmonies, and soothing clean vocals make them the standouts. The clean vocals on this album, handled by Ettore, Björn (to a lesser extent), Claudio, and Benny at varying times, are second to the drums in substance due to their semi-gothic and elaborate qualities. The riffs are the same modern picks song after song, but the cleans are mournful and well-paced for their songs. While the clean singing is great asset, my issue is the fact that the band relies solely on this harsh verse / clean chorus formula for the majority of the album. Does it make memorable songs? Yes, but it’s too effortless for its own good.

The only thing I’d recommend from this band is the debut album – a great progressive death gem that’ll stick with you. Fragments Of D-Generation is the farthest I’d go with this band in terms of positivity, and even then I’m stretchy my standards. It’s a decent album for what it does, but I’m not really into music like this anymore. I dig certain bands that do the sound right, like Insomnium, but this particular kind of overly gaudy melodic death fell off my radar a while back, and I doubt I’ll ever give it another chance again.

Revision: November 1, 2016

Might have been a little too harsh on this. Songs are indeed fun and lively, just don't expect total greatness.

I guess, the best word to describe this album is "solid". This is second full-length record by italian musical mastermind Ettore Rigotti, which also features bass player Mirco Andreis (also played on the first album), vocalist Claudio Ravinale aaaaand...(surprise!) lead vocalist of Soilwork Bjorn Strid, who recorded ~90% of the vocal parts on this album. Production of the album is on the great level aswel, you can clearly hear all the instruments and vocals really well.

The band changed it`s direction after the release of "Nebularium". Right now you can say that this album belongs to the "Modern Melodic Death" direction of music, which incorparates some mid-tempo groove riffing, some slight trashy moves but still much of the space dedicated to the melodies themselves. Also this album features great soloing (guitar) work. Two main approaches of this album are the guitar riffs and melodies and the vocals. Talking about the vocals, I should say , that I am really impressed by the usage of this aspect in the album. At least four people perform vocal parts on this album. Clean vocals done by Ettore Rigotti and Benny Bianco Chinto (guest appearance), growls by Claudio Ravinale and screams/shouts (plus some clean parts aswel) by Björn "Speed" Strid. So, you can imagine, how rich this record is in the aspect of vocal diversity. Bass is quite audible and drums are energetic, their main purpose on this album is keeping the rhytm.

The opener track called "Common State of Inner Violence" has dreamy symphonic intro which is going to be interrupted with some riff attack around 1 minute mark. This song will give you an idea about the main recipe of the songs on this album. Generally, we have an album with individually very strong songs ( I didn`t like "Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams" and "Red Clouds" is questionable, though it has really great solo). But the main problem, is the thing that, there is no groundbreaking song on this album. My favorites are "Oceangrave", "Swallow the Flames" and "Morgue of Centuries", but they are not great enough to stuck in your head for a long time. I guess, one of the complaints about this album is that it isn`t intenssive enough to be an unstoppable "headbanging album" and it is not progressive enough to surprise us with different structures, and interesting musical moves. Offcourse, some keyboards parts are included in this album, but these layers are mostly used for background of the musical monumentum of "Fragments of D-Generation".

You can catch yourself on the thought, that this album is addictive as long as you listen to it. But after the stop of the play, you are going to look for some other stuff, which not necessarily better then this releae but more memorable and focused on some certain parts. Otherwise, this is really great album, if you love Modern melodic death metal. It has strong songs with nice guitar riffs and solos plus vocals of one of the best (in my opinion) vocalist of the metal scene. The last thing I would like to mention is that cover art of the album is ideally balanced with lyrical and musical themes of destruction of the worlds (inner and the outters) and the closer track "Colors of a New Era" will annihilate any doubts about the balance of musical and cover art contents...

Bring out the 100, baby. From the riotous, Dark Angel-speed blast of chainsaw ferocity that kicks off "Common State of Inner Violence", to the serene, beautifully subtle strings over electronics that close out "Colors of a New Era", this album is pure brilliance from start to finish. Although not "Gothenburg" in the geographic meaning, as this is in fact an Italian band (mostly a one-man project at this point, with various guests), Fragments of D-Generation is undeniably derived from the style by that name; however, never before or after has the style been done as well as it is done here. This is the type of album where everything is done right, everything comes together perfectly and the songwriting and sheer musicality just plain feels a notch above almost everything else - to an extent that it actually deserves to be ranked among the very finest moments of heavy metal in general.

With the terms "Gothenburg" and "melodic death metal" often being used synonymously, to avoid confusion, I thought I'd shed some light upon things for the less initiated: bands like this are the reason many of us like to use the term "Gothenburg", or alternately "melodeath", to separate the likes of In Flames and Arch Enemy from literal melodic death metal acts such as Lykathea Aflame and Vehemence. In other words, death metal, this is hardly. Although the Gothenburg sound may have spawned from death metal, somewhere along the way, heavy metal, power metal and other influences had taken over to the point that almost none of the original aesthetics and methods of death metal remained in most cases - with albums like this as the result. Therefore, don't go into this one expecting to hear anything like death metal, if your conception of the genre is bands like Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and early Death. This may be appear obvious to many of you reading this, but for those not educated on the matter, fact is that taken literally, the name "melodic death metal" is rather misleading most of the time. Much unnecessary hate on bands and albums often stems from people approaching them with the wrong mindset and expectations, and that's what I'm trying to prevent here early on. So, now that we've determined what the album is NOT, the rest of this review will focus on what the album actually IS.

Released in 2004, this is rather late into the game we're talking, which may be the reason this album went by largely unnoticed and wasn't given anywhere near its due. By then, the Gothenburg scene could pretty well be considered dead; the style was long past its creative stage, no really notable new bands were on the uprise and almost all of the big names had pussied out and changed into something far more commercially viable. Now, Disarmonia Mundi's sound does mostly come from said "new school" Gothenburg, commonly marked by its modern hard rock and commercial leanings - for one, just about every song here features a clean-sung and infectiously catchy chorus. However, unlike similar sounding bands, nothing on this album sounds simplified, softened or otherwise compromised in any way. While not necessarily having an original sound (more on that later), never does their songwriting adhere to formula and not one song or even parts of songs on the album can really be described as "standard" or "generic" sounding. The style may be familiar, but not the actual songs. Through successful experimentation, including some rather unusual, almost alien yet understandable instrumental arrangements in several places, this album expands upon the Gothenburg sound and takes it to unprecedented heights of musical proficiency. There are so many little odd yet totally brilliant bits on this album that have you wondering "how the hell do they come up with this stuff?" It's almost as if some musically superior life form from outer space invaded Earth, heard Soilwork's Natural Born Chaos and decided to do their own take on it... Ahem, yeah.

Speaking of which, yes, Soilwork is by far the band Disarmonia Mundi sounds like the most. Most of the attention given to this album is due to actually featuring the guy from Soilwork on harsh vocals and although he doesn't do the clean ones, they're delivered in a somber, mellow fashion similar to that of Soilwork's output since A Predator's Portrait. Again, though, Natural Born Chaos would be the one album that this compares to the most. It's just that brand of aggressive yet catchy pop metal on display here, with many clean vocal melodies that could pass for radio rock, highly melodic, Maiden-esque lead guitar work and riffs that alternate between thrash-influenced technicality and modern-styled, groove-based simplicity - this without sounding overly simplified and/or sacrificing artistic credibility like Soilwork post-NBC. However, to further compare the two albums, in neither one of them lies the main key to greatness in either vocals or guitars, but in the thick atmosphere and rich texture achieved through masterful use of keyboards and electronics. On Fragments of D-Generation, though, this strength is amplified by about 500. It's exceedingly rare that a band borrowing this much from another band's sound manages to outdo the original in its own game, but that is exactly the case here.

Seriously, although it's hard to compare the two, the only metal album I can think of that rivals Fragments of D-Generation for keyboard excellence, as far as quality in pure composition, is Dream Theater's Awake - but as for actually surpassing it, well, probably not. Non-believers of keyboards and electronics in metal, I truly pity you for being unable to appreciate the pure genius at work here. Unlike in some bands where they seem half-heartedly slapped on as an afterthought, the keyboards and electronics here form an integral part of the sound and they're utilized in such a way that they could never be replaced by guitars. Moreover, this is not the happy, cheery fun of Sonata Arctica (not a stab at them; just to show a contrast is all); on this album, keyboards and electronics complement the aggressive music to create a sci-fi and futuristic (imagery derived from Hollywood flicks, yes, but still) as well as cold and bleak atmosphere. That distinction makes Demanufacture/Obsolete-era Fear Factory jump to mind on occasion, even though the overall music here sounds very little like them (not much of an industrial feel, little monotonous chug-chug-chugging, among other things). Creating much of the album's said atmosphere and texture is a good variety of sounds; from mellow strings and stuff to downright ferocious sounding electronics of pure cybernetic destruction.

Case in point for the latter: the first 90 seconds of "Common State of Inner Violence". T-1000 running at full pace (~280 bpm!), sights locked on you and not stopping until your sorry ass is terminated. The lyrics have nothing to do with Terminator 2, but that's the imagery stuck in my head for this song. Its little techno-ish percussive fills make the song keep up a great flow and also crank up the whole intensity so much that my neck muscles twitch uncontrollably each time they come by - it's still very funny to see when I'm listening to this album in public. Also, I can't possibly pen a review for this and not include a mention of the middle section of "Morgue of Centuries", overall the best song on the album. This is keyboard playing at its most infectiously catchy, but again, not in a typical light manner and the tone is just unusually sharp, forceful and ear-shatteringly high-pitched (in great contrast to the heavily downtuned guitars). Partly through terrific use of reverb and beautifully harmonized guitars underneath, its soaring, trance-like atmosphere is simply stunning and has to be heard to be believed. "Jump", this is not. On the more serene end of the spectrum, the first half minute of "Colors of a New Era" can only be described as the soundtrack to angels descending from the sky, emitting a brilliant white light upon you and leaving you entranced by the sheer beauty of it all. Subtle, but extremely powerful just the same.

[Note to Nocturnal Rites: the third track on this album, "Red Clouds", THAT is how you make a techno beat fit into a song and make some goddamn sense. The ones you put in five songs on your last album were complete hack jobs, every one of them. Back to the drawing board, guys.]

Keyboards aren't everything, though. While indeed the most important ingredient on here, they're far from the only thing that makes Fragments of D-Generation the untouchable masterpiece it is, and likewise they're not the sole contributor to its lush texture and hefty sound. For one, the guitar tone on this album is absolutely monstrous. This isn't some soft around the edges Flames of the Haunted Enemy crap tone, this is pure, in-your-face brutality that could pass for death metal, with a bulky girth to it that fills the soundscape nicely without subduing keys and electronics too much. Then there's the actual riffage, which is extremely solid and reminds you that this is first and foremost a metal album we have here. Although riffs may not be where the focus is much of the time, they're never totally forgotten either; things are always kept nice and heavy on here, and for sure, on "Swallow the Flames", "Quicksand Symmetry" and the aforementioned "Common State of Inner Violence" among others, the riffs slay relentlessly and are a definite main point. The lead guitar part is carried out quite well too, with excellent, albeit for Gothenburg typical Maiden-esque harmonies present on most songs and solos are similarly melodic and well above average. Next, the drums - as the reviewer before me pointed out, the playing is a bit restrained, but not really in a bad way and I've certainly no beefs with it. What truly stands out, though, adding to the album's already massive sound, is the snare drum: a huge, visceral punch to it, and has a lovely raw and natural sound without clashing badly with the music (like that one Metallica album a few years ago, that has become the universal benchmark in metal reviews for how a snare drum should not sound, you know the one).

And the vocals - oh hell yes. Björn Strid screams, growls and snarls his way through arguably the performance of his career on the harsh vox, being in the vein of Pantera at their most pissed off and aggressive. Better yet, however, and second only to the keyboards as the most shining point about the album as whole, are the clean vocals of Ettore Rigotti. They have that melodramatic and goth-tinged sound that is not emo, but also not enough rooted in classic metal to please certain people, with much bitching ensued - each to their own, let the rest of us bask in their intense power, emotion and smoothness, as well as their depth and atmosphere achieved through great use of multi-layering. The best example is found in the chorus of "Morgue of Centuries" - holy freaking hell this chorus rules! Absolutely mindblowing, and definitely something that sticks with you from the first time you hear the album. Or how about "Oceangrave", the one track that best showcases the album's experimental genius: the lead vocals are harsh, but constantly backed by harmonized clean vocals that sing vocal lines entirely different from the harsh ones, and therefore function more as a separate lead instrument, than as "regular" backing vocals. You probably need to hear it yourself to understand what I'm talking about, but I'm just saying to prove this album is anything but standard fare, despite at the same time being somewhat derivative in style. Though I wouldn't really describe "Oceangrave" as being derivative in any sense, with its dance beats and techno/trance-influenced electronics that are somehow tastefully intermixed with the metal, making for a highly diverse and original ride.

I could ramble away about each and every song on here all day, but the site won't let me due to its 64kb (~64,000 character) limit for a single review and I wouldn't want to bore you more than I already have anyway (or I'd just make multiple profiles, allowing me to submit more than one review! Mwahaha!). So, bottom line: this band's knack for composition, attention to detail and feel for making their music sonically pleasing is just plain astonishing. The score of 100% is well justified; every song is a winner and the album does much to distinguish itself from the masses, but more importantly, I cannot for my life find a single thing on it to complain about. I don't say this about a lot of things, but yes, this here is simply a perfect album; any and all alterations made to it could ever only make it worse, and less complete. The band just totally nailed what they were aiming for here, and that's some pretty damn high aim we're talking. All this is mostly due to the work of one man: the aforementioned Mr. Ettore Rigotti, who wrote all the songs, sung most of the clean vocals, played guitar, drums and keyboards and also recorded, engineered, produced and mixed this thing. Impressive, to say the least. Considering the production on this album is nothing short of world class, it's a good thing that producing other bands is what he does between Disarmonia albums, or he'd be a terrible waste of talent.

But more importantly, with Fragments of D-Generation, he along with the rest of the band have created one of the most accomplished, rewarding and superlative metal albums of the new millennium thus far. Truly a masterpiece of modern metal, it is simply unparalleled for melody, power, intensity and masterfully crafted soundscapes. Its staying power is certainly not in dispute (or I'd never even think of giving it a 100); over one year and 70-something spins later, I still can't get the damn thing out of my player, and if that's not a sure sign of quality, I don't know what the hell is. Lack of replayability is my exact problem with 99% of Gothenburg metal, including vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid's most famous band, but again, Fragments of D-Generation has replayability coming out its ears. It's one of those albums where each time you listen to them, you find something new to love - that aforementioned bit in the beginning of "Colors...", for example, I didn't notice until about a week before writing this review, and now it's actually one of my favorite moments on the album. Much of this is thanks to its incredibly rich and deep texture, and every song being completely jam-packed with little subtleties and details everywhere - of which every single one adds something to the music. There's not one misplaced note on here, and boy, are there ever many. This without being inaccessible at all; hooks and generally catchy parts are plentiful on this album and the production is quite ear-catching, despite the rather brutal sounding guitars. This is an album you'll like the first time you hear it, and love after the tenth time at the most - not that it'll stop growing on you from there on, though.

In conclusion, for fans of Gothenburg melodeath in the style of Soilwork circa 2001/2002, Disarmonia Mundi's Fragments of D-Generation is mandatory. Due to its sheer musical supremacy, I'll be damned if it doesn't have some potential for cross-appeal too. Unlike its peers that have dumbed down their sound for mainstream acceptance, Disarmonia Mundi truly takes the Gothenburg sound to the next level here and puts out a classic for the ages. This could very well be my favorite album of all time. You'd do well to pick it up.

Stand-out tracks, just for the heck of it: "Common State of Inner Violence", "Morgue of Centuries", "Swallow the Flames"

To be completely honest, I didn't hear of these guys until they put out this album. I figured that it would be good because I heard Speed from Soilwork was on this album and all he really did was scream and no clean vocals. I think that Speed is a good vocalist. I think that his screams and growls are very good and his clean vocals are just decent. But when I heard that he just screamed, I pictured this album being a lot heavier and faster than what it actually is. I was a bit disappointed but this album still gets thumbs up from me. There are some tracks that grab your attention and won't let go. But then again there are some tracks that aren't very interesting. The tempo changes from song to song are quite interesting though. Some songs are pretty heavy and will have you head banging and there are some songs that will have you just nodding your head.

All in all, the contrast in vocals are good, the guitar work is good and can be quite impressive at points, the bass is actually audible and is good, the drums are good but the keyboards can be a bit much. This is a good album but its not too different from what we have heard before from other bands. I still recommend it though.

Wow! Where the fuck did these guys come from? I had never heard of them until this past year when they released their outstanding album, Fragments Of D-Generation. I was very shocked when I checked it out. I really have to thank a friend for recommending this great album!

What we have here is a combination of thrash metal and very well done melodic death metal. It’s intense and it’s just straight up ass-kicking goodness! It completely blew their other album, Nebularium, out of the water. It has a completely different sound than before, but it’s really a good thing! The main reason for the different sound is the change in the lineup of the band. The most notable change was their vocalist. I think they made a smart move by recruiting Mr. Bjorn “Speed” Strid from Soilwork. The guy is pretty well known for his work with Soilwork, so this gave Disarmonia Mundi some recognition as well. But before we start jumping to conclusions, these guys are not a Soilwork wannabe band.

In my opinion, this album is better than anything that Soilwork has ever released. This is what Soilwork COULD have sounded like if they had never followed the ways of their companions, In Flames. Soilwork had the potential to release an album like this, but unfortunately, we never got to see or hear it.

This album has everything you could want in a Melodic Death metal release; brutality, intensity, melody, of course, growls and very well done clean vocals. You can tell from the opening track, Common State Of Inner Violence, that we’re in for a ride with this album and it does not disappoint. This is easily one of my favorite releases of the past year.

The guitar work on this album is handled by Ettore Rigotti, who also played the drums, keyboards and even some vocal work on this release. He did a very good job with the guitars. There are some very nice leads and solos, like you would expect with a good melodic death release, but also some very nice heavy riffs to compliment said leads. I also believe the guitar playing on this album is a step up from their previous album as well. It just seems that Disarmonia Mundi found the right combination of musicians this time and took full advantage of what each had to offer. Very, very good stuff indeed!

The drumming on this album is pretty well your run-of-the-mill keeping the rhythm with a few little technical parts every now and then. They are nothing incredibly special, but they do what they are supposed to do and keep the rhythm. But that can be an okay thing because you don’t want a drummer that will cram technicality into every part of the song, hurting the dynamics of it. I’ve seen that happen so many times and it saddens me. Drums are meant to keep rhythm and beats, not drown out every other instrument and to see how many drum rolls you can fit into section of the song. I know there are some people out there who like very technical drumming during songs, but me, being a drummer myself; I like to just play with the flow of the music. So I can appreciate very minimal technicality drum-wise during music.

There is also some nice keyboard work on this album too. Another advantage these guys have over Soilwork. These guys actually USE their keyboard player… who also happens to be their guitarist and drummer. :P But it’s really good. It’s not overbearing and it’s not non-existent. They just find a happy medium for it and use it when necessary, very smart move!

Next we come to the vocals. Ahhhh, the vocals. What can I say? They are possibly the best thing this album has to offer. Speed’s vocals are his typical raspy growls but he shows them off really well. And for some of you who don’t like Speed’s clean vocals, don’t worry, he only growls on this album. :D I was very impressed with what Mr. Strid added to this album. His voice gave it that extra… oomph, if you will, that their first album lacked.

I would’ve liked to hear Speed do some clean vocals here, but I was quite content with him just growling because the guy they had do the clean vocals did a great job as well. His voice added a nice touch as well, and it just so happens, that he is the band’s main lyricist as well. And that’s another thing worth mentioning. The lyrics were very well done as well. I enjoyed reading them as I listened along and just enjoying the flow of the album.

But back to the clean vocals, they are featured in pretty well every song, which is great. I especially like it in track six, Ocean Grave, when Speed is growling over the clean harmonized vocals. Very, very impressive indeed!

Overall, this is just an outstanding release from beginning to end. There is nothing to badmouth here. It’s just straight out thrashy melodic death metal at its best. These guys have really gained my attention with this release and now I cannot wait to hear more stuff by them. I was very shocked and pleased with this album, and hopefully you’ll be pleased with it too, because these guys will be a force to be reckoned with in due time.

If you’re a fan of Melodic Death metal or just metal in general, GET THIS ALBUM!!

3 favorite tracks: Red Clouds, Ocean Grave, Shattered Lives And Broken Dreams

First off, let me say, excellent album. A huge step foward from their debut. The song writing is so catchy and dynamic, the guitars are very impressive. The drums, while good, are a bit quiet. Very loud bass, hopefully you have a system capable of blasting it.

Sounding like Soilwork more often than not, this band even does it better in most cases. The keys and sound effects give the album a very progressive, modern feel.

Vocally, this album is exquisite, Speed is up to his usual Soilwork tricks, growling, screaming, yelling. But the real magic comes from Caludio Ravinale, who provides the chorus' with an open, sprawling beauty. In other words, it kicks ass.

The album kicks off with "Common State of Inner Violence". A very fast song that gives The Haunted, early Soilwork, and Carnal Forge a run for their money. The next few tracks are simply stunning, and just flow extremely well. By the time Swallow the Flames comes along, you'll know what sets D.Mundi apart from most other melo-death bands - they can be very progressive as well as brutal.

Although the entire album is excellent, the tracks that will really grab your ear are "Morgue of Centuries, Red Clouds, Oceangrave and Mirror Behind".
If you've found that melo-death has become boring for you, give Disarmonia Mundi a try, your opinion might just change, if only for a while.

Beautiful, brutal music. Highly recomended. An excellent hold-me-over until Soilwork's next album drops.