Circle of Dust - Disengage/Refractorchasm (Re-issue)

I used to really be in to Circle of Dust.  I still enjoy pulling out their old self-titled album along with the Brainchild disc.  However, it is with this album that I really started to lose interest.  COD started drifting away from the metal edge and started going more with a heavier dance/techno vibe to go along with their industrial/electronica side.  There are still some metal guitars here and there and they do get fairly heavy (see "Refractor"), but it's just not consistent enough to keep me interested for very long.  COD also includes a lot of aggressive material here as well, but it's mixed in with so many calmer moments that your mind starts to wonder if you're used to the bands more consistently aggressive side.  And of course, there are still the trademark distorted vocals that fill the disc from start to finish.

Don't get me totally wrong.  This is not a horrible album by any means.  Many people will totally dig this disc...both Circle of Dust fans and fans of this particular genre.  However, I don't think it's quite up to the par of COD's earlier albums.  It just doesn't grab me like the others did.  But the band still crafts a creative and dark work of art that has many high moments, and if you are more into the dance/techno side of this genre instead of the metal side, than this will be more up your alley.

The album contains the Disengage album along with about an EP's worth of bonus tracks (Refractorchasm).  The album was also digitally remastered and also includes enhanced artwork.  This was definitely a release that needed to see the light of day again and three cheers to Retroactive Records for making it easy to find again.

Rating:  67/100

Review By: Matt Morrow

Label: Retroactive Records

Total Songs: 16

Total Time: 63:45

Tracklisting: 1. Waste of Time, 2. Refractor, 3. Yurasuka, 4. Babylon, 5. Chasm, 6. Thulcandra, 7. Blindeye, 8. Mesmerized, 9. Perelandra, 10. You are Fragile, 11. Chasm (Version 2.1.0), 12. Refractor (Version 3.2.1), 13. Levler 1 (Easier to Hate), 14. Hate Opened Wide, 15. Levler 2 (Alone to Die), 16. Deadly Love (Censored Version).

Best Songs: Track 2, 11, & 12.

Band Lineup: Klay Scott - Voice/Guitars/Bass/Drums/Synth/Samples of Programming

Band Website: N/A