xDISCIPLEx A.D. - No Blood, No Altar Now (1999)
Have you ever heard one of those albums that you really want to like but, for some reason, just find it hard to do so? This is the predicament I find myself in here. These five guys have really established
themselves in the underground hardcore scene, both Christian and secular, and don't get me wrong because they are good and I'm glad they get so much positive attention. However, at the same time, I think they are usually overrated.
My initial reaction to this latest release was, honestly, one of disappointment.
Again, these guys are not bad. But, after hearing so much about them for so long, this album did not even come close to my expectations. Maybe it's
just me (and I hope it is). When I heard their first disc, "Lantern," I was excited . . .really excited. The sick vocals on that album are still the best I've ever heard from a hardcore band. Yet, with the following
full-length, "Imitation of Love," and now this EP, it seems that they have chosen to settle into a cookie-cutter mold of hardcore that does little to differentiate itself from all the other bands out there. I still want
to like them. xDisciplex plays the tough kind of hardcore with lots of heavy breakdowns that should appeal to fans of No Innocent Victim and Figure Four, of which I am certainly one. There are some really good moments on this disc,
and the tracks "Pray Your gods" and "Death of Death" are favorites, but there's simply nothing exceptional to be found here. I want there to be, and I think these guys certainly have the potential to produce
some great hardcore. But, at this point, I honestly cannot see that they've done that. The lyrics are great, and there's no complaints as far as the content (I especially like "Death of Death," which also happens to be
the title of one of the greatest theological books ever written), but I wish that they would just get rid of the spoken word parts because they've not worked well on any of their three albums. The artwork for this album is
defintely one of my favorites though! Let me conclude in that despite everything I've said, I would still recommend this album as one that's probably worth your investment. It's just not what I hoped and think it could have been. I
still want to like them, and I think I probably do. I will continue to support them and buy their albums, and hopefully, the next full-length will make me regret ever having to think this way about them. Now, as far as their live
show is concerned, it is
definitely one you do not want to miss . . .trust me. -- Review by Jason