THE EDGE OF SANITY

The full debut of Structural Disorder follows the very interesting EP "A Prelude to Insanity" - the similarity in the titles reveals the story that the quintet had in mind when composing the first four pieces (which are included also in this album): a story of severe psychosis, family drama and realisation, which is, at times theatrically, nicely portrayed within the 70 minutes of this album with plenty of aggressiveness and melody (when required).

The one element that defines the sound of SD is the use of electric accordion which is a welcome novelty, distinguishable in the mellow parts (see Peace of Mind and the title track) but also on the heavy syncopating songs (Rebirth, Sleep on Aripiprazol) to the point where I can honestly not say if what I hear can be produced with an electric accordion or it is the sound of keyboards (but does it really matter?). The djenty and angry character of the riffing is counterbalanced with the nostalgic appearance of the ghost of Pain of Salvation, the use of post-rock techniques (Pale Dressed Masses) and the undeniable presence of Neo-prog (especially references to IQ come in mind when listening to Corpse Candles or Peace of Mind), which altogether result in a sound energetic and uplifting, but also distinctive and diverse.

The vocal performance throughout the album I found slightly inconsistent, with passages being overly aggressive or showing signs of "crudeness", needing a bit of refining. The 70 minutes is a bit long to get through, given the complexity of some songs. Further to the 4 very strong tracks coming from the EP, I also found myself getting progressively into a few others (Corpse Candles, Pale Dressed Masses and the title track) leaving really very little room for complaints. With the exception of 2-3 songs, this would be a truly exceptional record, which still deserves about 3.5 stars.

Looking forward to some more of this innovative approach.