In 2003, a demo made its way into my grubby hands from a band called The End of the Universe, featuring former members of Converge, Jesuit and Channel. The four songs on that demo were excellent, but the disc only served to whet my appetite for a proper release from this band. Two years later, The End of the Universe's debut full-length has finally been recorded and released and it definitely delivers on the promise held by that incredibly impressive demo. Co-produced by the band and Andreas Magnusson (Black Dahlia Murder, Winter Solstice, Burning Season) You're The Disease is a packed platter of raw, abrasive metal, comparable in many ways to the bands its members were previously involved with.
While the first comparison someone might make here is to the mid-to-late-90's Converge sound, there's a lot more to the End of the Universe than that. For starters, Josh Nelson's screams have a tone and presence all their own. If you took away the music, this guy's vocals could be the centerpiece of just about any kind of metal band. Nelson even shows a sense of clear discipline in enunciating some of the songs' key lyrics that other comparable singers might not concern themselves with. This is definitely a good thing, as the disc's lyrics are definitely well above average. Despite tackling familiar themes of aggression and despondency, the words themselves walk a fine line between eloquent and blunt, complementing the band's alternately simplistic and complex instrumentations.
The album's artwork was handled by Paul A. Romano, the Philadelphia artist behind Mastodon's breathtaking album covers, a small surprise, as the End of the Universe will undoubtedly draw comparisons to that band as well, with their implementation of strong riffs, a dense sound and occassional drum flourishes. Despite all the apparent influences or similarities however, You're The Disease doesn't ever come off as anything but the intelligent creation of a group of talented songwriters and musicians. If anything, these occassional resemblances simply help put the End of the Universe in a proper frame of reference.
Bottom Line: After waiting two years for this record, it had some high expectations to live up to and it certainly met them. If you're a fan of genre-bending metal bands unsatisfied to follow conventions or stifle their creativity with specific formulas and structures, you may want to spend some time with You're The Disease. It's frequently found its way into my CD player over the last month or so and it grows on me more with each listen. |
