Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Vision of Disorder - For the Bleeders (1999)
Vision of Disorder had their breakthrough with the first two albums having been released via Roadrunner Records. However, the label seemed to prioritize this band less than others, giving them very little recording time for Imprint and lack of tour support. So the band left Roadrunner and decided to try something different with a new record label...
The band decided that to make up for the inconvenience fans have witnessed, they would make something for those fans, that being a mostly demo-re-recorded album For the Bleeders! It shows the band's simpler more hardcore roots while keeping things tight and metal. Despite some loss of energy, there still isn't anything bad about these songs. They just continue their powerful emotion in songs that each have a shorter amount of time.
One of the songs "Choke" is from their 1995 EP Still. Right away, it explodes into their usual blend of groove/metalcore/hardcore. Then one of the new tracks "Adelaide" hints the verse-chorus structure they would expand upon in their next album. "Watch Out", another track from Still, is filled with blazing speed.
One of the tracks from the earlier demos is "7/13". Melody and heaviness drift alongside each other. The title track is the second of the new songs. They slow things down to a more sludge-ish approach while still aggressive. Hardcore screams and smooth cleans fit greatly with the ethereal guitar chords. "No Regrets" is from the 1996 CD edition of the Still EP. It's good, but it doesn't impress me as much as all the other tracks. "Formula For Failure" is another early demo track. I think until this album was released, fans knew it more as a live track than something made in studio.
"Beneath the Green" is one more song from Still, and it's the best song of the entire album. My mind can embrace it as much as it embraces me. "Take Them Out" is the remaining of the re-recorded demo tracks, filled with hardcore fury. Another impressive highlight "In The Room" is the last new track for this album. Well technically, it was originally recorded for the soundtrack for the film Terror Firmer, released shortly after the Imprint album. It certainly sounds fresh out of the Imprint sessions.
The band consisting of vocalist Tim Williams, guitarists Mike Kennedy and Matt Baumbach, bassist Mike Fleischmann, and drummer Brendon Cohen sound better and more mature, especially in Williams' vocals. The bass is more audible, and Cohen is still one of the best drummers in early metalcore. The bleeders shall enjoy!
Favorites: "Choke", "7/13", "No Regrets", "Beneath the Green", "In the Room"