Artist: New Disease
Title: Patent Life
Genre: Alternative Rock
Release Date: 11th August 2014
Label: Self-released
Album Review
It’s been quite a journey for NEW DISEASE. The band formed in 2002 by THE MISSION’s guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite and vocalist Jacob Lee Bane and swiftly gathered interest and solid reviews with the EP ‘Axiomatic’ in 2003 and the single ‘Like Rain’ in 2004. Then signed to Universal, it was a restructuring at the label that led to the band inexplicably being cut adrift, and NEW DISEASE went into hibernation. News that the project was being re-ignited filtered through and 2014 finally sees the release of the long awaited debut album, with some songs from those earlier sessions re-recorded and re-worked, and a brand new composition also included. Does it work as a whole? So long in gestation this could have felt incomplete or inconsistent, but it’s actually neither. What is on offer on ‘Patent Life’ is good, solid song-writing, and alternative rock at its sharpest and most intelligent. A relief, then, for everyone.
Take the SMASHING PUMPKINS ‘Siamese Dream’ era riffs on ‘Hold On’, barrelling nicely along behind a verse that sounds as good as a chorus and a chorus that is irresistible. And already the signs are there that this is stadium-sized without being overblown or pompous. ‘Obsidian’ grows majestically, the emotive vocals reminiscent of a young EDDIE VEDDER and ‘Used’ flexes its muscles between full-scale guitar assault and textured use of space around the melody. And melody is key throughout here. Too often guitar-based music forgets that one vital ingredient, thinking that if it rocks hard then it must be good. The song-writing here is exceptional at times, and there is no sense that the band are trying to drown everything in a cascade of guitars all turned to eleven. This is a very good thing indeed.
There are subtle moments too, as on the gentle ‘Angel Without Wings’ and in the glorious harmonies of ‘Black And Blue’. And the new version of ‘Like Rain’ only builds on the original, a tumble of drums and euphoric chiming guitars all funnelled towards a chorus made for a huge festival field somewhere at sunset. New song ‘Plainfield’ is somewhat underwhelming at first although it does benefit from repeated listens, and there could be a bit of fat-trimming here and there, but this is just minor fussing. Because when everything comes together, it’s clear NEW DISEASE have something special. Take ‘Judas Awakened’. A complex and quietly graceful song, it sits proudly at the end of the album, waving its arms in the air confidently, bursting with understated emotion and passion.
It’s a very good thing indeed that NEW DISEASE persisted with the project, and this collection of songs has finally seen the light of day. Whatever happens next, let’s just hope things don’t take quite as long this time…
Tracklist
01. Exordium
02. Hold On (here comes the sun)
03. Obsidian
04. Used
05. Angel Without Wings
06. In Vitro (new 2014 mix)
07. Everchange
08. Song Of One Word
09. Spirit Guide
10. Sayonara
11. Patent Life
12. Like Rain (2014 brand new version)
13. Plainfield (brand new song)
14. Black And Blue
15. Judas Awakened
Line-up
Jacob Lee Bane - vocals
Mark Gemini Thwaite - guitars
Richard Adams - bass
Eddie Stratton - drums
Website
http://www.newdiseasemusic.com / https://www.facebook.com/NewDiseaseMusic
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
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