Disillusion - "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it"

Disillusion

Back to Times of Splendor (20th Anniversary Edition)

Metal Blade Records

26 April 2024

Take a look at this gem by the long-running prog melodic extreme metal band Disillusion (1994-present; Saxony, Germany). Earlier in 2024 Metal Blade Records reissued a 20th-anniversary edition remastered version of the 2004 debut album, a highly-regarded work that has continued to impress throughout the previous 20 years. This reissue includes two additional songs from the 2002 single “The Porter” and live renditions of two songs from the album.

1. ...and the Mirror Cracked 08:27

2. Fall 04:54

3. Alone I Stand in Fires 06:53

4. Back to Times of Splendor 14:39

5. A Day by the Lake 04:54

6. The Sleep of Restless Hours 17:03

original album playing time 56:50

Two songs from the single “The Porter” (2002)

7. The Porter 04:17

8. Eternal Duality 05:05

Two live songs from the original album:

9. And the Mirror Cracked (live) 06:24

10. Alone I Stand in Fires (live) 06:27

Of course, the extra material is nice to hear. However, it is the album itself that is the centerpiece of this reissue. As you can see above, there are two songs that are very long. Is this a problem? No, it's not. Why? Well, the album is undoubtedly in the category of melodic death metal, with both growling and singing, and riff-focused thrashy guitar work, and the other side of the coin is that it is not only melodic death metal. There is a prog component to the music giving it a different sound, more personality, if you will. The music bundles melodeath and prog into one smooth sound. If given a couple of proper listens, the album works well overall and the long songs turn out to be indispensable. Given the 20 years that have passed, the album still sounds fun. Plus, today's metal listeners often are much smarter when it comes to understanding albums that blur the lines between genres. If anything, nowadays the album sounds more acceptable, and less a novelty, as perhaps it did for some people in 2004. It's not an instant-gratification album, but over the years it has gained a certain following and it's because the music possesses traits that keeps people coming back for more.

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