Dischord

If you like your thrash metal to be uncompromisingly brutal and violent, yet still thought-provoking and intriguing, the debut effort from Canadian thrashers
Dischord may be right up your alley. With Casualties of War, their debut full-length album, the band dishes out an impressive serving of technical thrash/death
metal with enough quality riffs and jaw-dropping slabs of musicianship to satisfy any fan of the genre. Dischord may not be shattering any boundaries with this
debut, but it's a strong and extremely promising starting point for this Canadian quintet.

Obvious points of reference on Casualties of War are Death, Dekapitator, and Pestilence, but Dischord doesn't ever come across as a rip-off of any of these bands.
Dischord's impressive abilities as musicians keep them from ever sounding second-rate either, and I'd say all of the players in this group are extremely talented
and gifted on their respective instruments. The killer riffs and solid compositions also keep things interesting throughout all of Casualties of War, and this
album is generally devoid of weak sections. The only fairly significant complaint I can think of is related to the raw and unpolished production. Although the
sound itself suits the music pretty well, the sound of the drums (especially the annoying snare tone) makes this one a bit tough to digest.

Casualties of War is generally a stellar debut album from Dischord, and I'll be very curious to hear where they head in the coming years. They've created one of
the year's better extreme thrash albums for sure - fans of the genre should definitely take notice. I'd say 3.5 stars are well-earned here.

Added: September 4th 2011
Reviewer: Jeff B - Sea of tranquility

Thursday, August 4, 2011Album Review: Dischord - "Casualties of War"
By Martin (sadly his last review before he departs from Noisography to work on his own music career)

Dischord, from Moncton, NB is definitely doing a lot of things right. What a solid record! Playing is great, spot on, and you can tell that nothing less
than perfection was accepted through the recording process. This is local independent metal at it's finest.

Casualities of War is a great opener to this album of the same name--the bridge really grabbed me, and the outro, with it's barked army commands is chilling,
evoking a bleak near-future of military rule; a perfect prep for this awesome 55 minute journey. What follows is a great showcase of what these guys
are capable of--I never felt bored, they just keep it so fresh, so new--each track gives you a little surprise, something a little different than the last.
Just when you think they've done it all and might go back to something more familiar, they go a bit further, and IT IS STILL GOOD.

The vocals are impressive, multi-layered growls, screams, screeches, (and singing in some parts too) and very well done and tasteful. I often have problems
with metal vocals when I can't make them out, and they get too repetitive and boring, but Robichaud (lead) and Gagné (backups) do a great job with keeping the
voices varied and fresh. The lyrics really appeal to me too, going from dark future to black magic to inner conflict to political commentary, again, keeping
things new and different but still cohesive.


I want to comment on the last couple tracks especially:
RCMP - I'm in agreement with Dischord here: still not lovin' police! Right on, I appreciate metal with a message now and again!
Les Ténèbres - This one starts out nicely, again showcasing again the variety this band has to offer... and has a neat connecting theme throughout
where an extreme metal riff is played without distortion and then with, really showing what difference the guitar effects make. But they both work!
I did feel at one point though that maybe this is where all the leftover riffs ended up, some of the changes were a bit jarring and unconnected for me.
Solitary Confinement - By this point, what more new can Dischord come up with? Well, this track doesn't bring much newness to the record but it's a recap for me
of all that's happened in the last seven tracks. Clocking in at almost 11 minutes, it's a look back and a reminder of everything that makes this record great.

Throughout the album, the rhythm guitar work is awesome--however the lead work leaves something to be desired; solos seem to be static groups of notes
that don't relate to each other or go anywhere. The exception is Mortal Deity--that solo did something for me, but I can't really point out what it had that
the others lacked. It just seemed to make more melodic sense, just my preference. The drumming and bass work is solid, technically amazing, but not really showy
or innovative... but perhaps this is a good thing after thinking about it: no one member really takes the spotlight here, and I'm left with a sense of a tight band
who acts as one, who are all on the same level and working together to create a whole music experience rather than to support one member.

Overall, the strongest point of this record is really it's variety. Dischord is able and comfortable doing many different sounds, textures, and feels,
while still keeping the final product rooted in a defined genre. They push the envelope the perfect amount--enough to keep the listener interested, but not
too much so as to alienate them. I'm excited to hear more of this band because I know they'll keep me guessing and listening. I'm sure they have lots more fresh
material to share with us! - Noisography

July 29th, 2011 | Author: Martell

I’m a pretty lucky guy when I look at the grand scheme of things. Not only do I have a fairly successful blog that lets me write about metal from all
over the world, but I happen to live in a fairly rural setting that just happens to be surrounded by some of the best metal I have ever seen live.
Aside from the live acts we have amazing record companies like DIMINISHED FIFTH that only accept the best from their artists. When you get the best out
of bands like BLACK MOOR and ORCHIDS CURSE you have quality that can compete with anything in the world of metal today.

With that being said I have to come right out and say that what DIMINISHED demands they appear to get because New Brunswicks DISCHORD’s new album
CASUALTIES OF WAR is a brilliant piece of metal from my neighbour province. I have covered DISCHORD in the past and talked over and over again about
the aggressiveness and energy they bring to their music. What I unfortunately missed though is a biography on the band that takes my understanding of
these guys to a new level.

If you head over to http://dischord.ca you will find a biography that takes you through the humble beginnings of DISCHORD as a cover band named FREEDOM MILITIA,
to the many membership changes, to their passion for metal that has kept them moving forward. To see a band write their own biography in a non-assuming way
that’s meant to show you the men behind the instruments is rare and brought the emotional level of their music to a new level for me.

The love-fest between me and DISCHORD ends in that last paragraph because I know that CASUALITES OF WAR was meant to slay me in a metal massacre.
The aggressive raw energy of the band is kept intact from start to finish and you can’t help but wonder how they are able to keep the pacing of the tracks so high.


The vocals in most places come across more as a bark than the typical guttural growl, but it works very well with the refreshing guitar riffs that are laced
throughout the album. DISCHORDS brand of death metal is very modern with drum work that doesn’t rely on the past to steer the ship. The title track CASUALTIES
OF WAR and SHADOW DEMONS displays the band song writing abilities of keeping the energy high with a total band effort.

MORTAL DIETY was my personal favourite on the album with its almost chanted message. The vocals come across as much harsher and the bass work shines.
The song has a great hook that you don’t find in many death metal bands these days.


The song SOLITARY CONFINEMENT for me was an enjoyable yet baffling song. I loved the confusion of the song, but didn’t understand some of the pace changes.
It feels like the band wanted to try something different, but when you have a sound this fresh you can tow the line for a while at least.

Overall DISCHORD’s CASUALTIES OF WAR is a nasty piece of metal that leaves you pressing replay over and over again. The barking nature of lyrical delivery
and total band effort shows a path for death metal to crawl out of the monotonous ditch it has fallen into.

8.5 OUT OF 10 HORNS

Show me your horns,

Martell - We love metal

Coming at us from Moncton, NB, this disc is surprisingly above the indie qualities the packaging promises.
I dig the production sound, raw as it is, and this band hit the spot with their mixture of old Bay Area thrash sounds
(right down to the songs that go on for two minutes too long — awesome!) and crossover vibe. Speaking of which,
those Accused-like vocals steal the show, with Luc Gagne barking, screaming and gurgling like a madman the way
a good metal singer should. Must be a hoot live. Lyrically, the band veer toward political and social issues,
always a welcome change from the usual metal fare. The disc goes on too long and eventually it’s all a blur,
and there are some demo-quality values that keep things a bit unfocused, but that somehow adds to the charm.
Maybe if it was cleaned up it wouldn’t sound as good. (Diminished Fifth)
- Exclaim (Greg Pratt)

It has been a long time since I last heard a band with such an interesting offering, this band truly sounds
like the old tape trading days, they sound so much like classic Thrash Metal that it's really difficult to believe
they're not an underground band from the 80's, and this is only their debut album.

Not many people really know this band, I know I didn't, but when I received their album to review I was…in doubt actually,
just look at the cover artwork, it's incredibly raw and it almost looks like it was made by the band itself with some
crayons and a scanner, now I even think it was drawn that way on purpose to fit with the "retro" concept, it must be!

The music is tight as hell, I see how many people will be hoping for something more brutal and insane, but this band
is all about the old-school, their strength does not come in the shape of sickening blast-beats but in a more
destructive way of playing. The record itself is what any Destruction or Coroner fanatic will love, it has one
or two edgy approaches but they also come with a classic vibe surrounding them.

This CD is a must try for those who are nostalgic about the old days, I can easily picture myself trading this
for a Cancer tape or an Xecutioner bootleg, damn it why in hell those things are now gone? Anyway, it would be wise
if we keep an eye on this band, they have massive potential and I surely need to know what they're doing next.


Performance: 7
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 7
Production: 6

Overall: 7.0 - Metal Storm

Man this band sounds pretty old school being the quality has that old sounding dirty feel to it.
I dig this old school stuff over most of today’s bands which at times over produce their tracks which in this case
doesn’t happen. They sound a lot like coroner at times but the vocals hold their own to a different style which for me
is the only down side to the band I wish he would of stuck more with the lower tone stuff he pulls off better.
The leads are excellent with weird arrangements with the drums sounding almost like a marching tune. As far as the general
sound it has a classic thrash feel with a muddy undertone to the tracks.

I commend the effort on the do it yourself mentally and brutal original art work which seems like it was hand drawn
which for me has a more nostalgic feel than a lot of covers out there these days.

7/10
-Esoteric Ed

Brutal Tracks To Check Out:
Angels Inferno
AK-47

- Necrometal