Vision Of Disorder

Vision of Disorder's self-titled debut showcases a band with a fairly solid sense of songwriting -- most of the riffs are memorable, snippets of melody rear their heads here and there, and tempos and textures are varied enough to prevent the record from becoming boring. Too often, vocalist Tim Williams goes for an intense, over-the-top roar like Pantera's Phil Anselmo, but he doesn't quite have the vocal power to pull it off; his voice comes off more as a hoarse shriek in those instances. Likewise, the social consciousness of the lyrics is handled in an over-the-top, Rage Against the Machine-reminiscent fashion -- it's all raw, naked anger about everything wrong with American society in the 1990s. Listeners looking for just those qualities will doubtlessly find Vision of Disorder an exciting record, but with a dose of subtlety, Vision of Disorder could develop into something more special and consistently listenable. ~ Steve Huey