Independent metal act Take & Take released its debut album, Disillusion Friday. Spanning 11 songs, the record is an intriguing first outing from the band, which was formed by former Nekrogoblikon drummer Eddie Trager. Its interest comes in large part through its featured musical arrangements, which are quite diverse throughout the album. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical make for their own interest and will be addressed a little later. The production that went into the record’s presentation rounds out the most important of the album’s elements and will also be addressed later. Each element noted is key in its own way to the whole of Disillusion. All things considered they make Disillusion a unique metal record that is worth hearing at least once.
Disillusion, the debut album from Take & Take, is an interesting offering from the independent metal outfit. The record stands out in part through its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are of note because of their diversity. They blend elements of progressive metal with death metal, thrash, and even some black metal influence from one song to the next and even within the songs to make for compositions that will leave listeners not able but to take in the songs. ‘Constantly’ for instance is an example of that blending of prog and death metal. One could almost argue a comparison to works from the likes of Between The Buried and Me in this work. On another note, a song, such as ‘Sticky’ finds the band moving musically in a completely different direction. In the case of this song, those progressive leanings blend with a more doom metal sense for a work that when paired with the work’s death metal growls, makes the song its own unique work. ‘That Won’t Last,’ another late entry to the album, is yet another intriguing change of sound and style for the band. In the case of this song, its arrangement is something of a tech death metal composition. It is yet another example of the diversity in the record’s musical arrangements. When it and the other arrangements examined here are considered along with the rest of the album’s musical content, the whole therein makes the record’s overall musical content reason enough for audiences to take a chance on the record.
The musical content featured throughout Disillusion is just part of the interest in the album’s presentation. Its lyrical content makes for its own engagement. For the most part, the themes are typical hard rock and metal topics, those of defiance, self-awareness and anti-establishment views. Case in point is ‘’The Straight Line.’ Coming just past the album’s midpoint, this song’s lyrical theme is a unique take on the familiar topic of defying authority and societal control. This is inferred right from the song’s lead verse, which states, “We’ll not divert from the path/Straight on/Straight line/Straight shot/Beeline/No turns/No tricks/No meandering walks/No curving left/No swerving right/Always in line/Always in sight/Straight on/Straight line/We’ll not divert from the path/Forwards, forwards/No going back.” This comes across as being a statement about people who are stuck in their ways and refuse to see or accept any other way of life or thinking. It is their mindset that their try to push on others. To that end, it really comes across as a social and political commentary both separately and jointly. If in fact that is the message here, then it Is delivered in an interesting way.
‘Get Off,’ which comes even earlier in the album’s run comes across as another damning indictment of the push for social conformity right from our childhood. This as the song’s lead verse states, “I was born into battle and what did I see/Still slick with afterbirth/My vision blurry/Dying fools/Handing out their business cards/You don’t matter/Never will/Come in tomorrow/Better make quota, child/Take notes/Learn the lesson/Put down the book/Life comes to kill/You don’t get a second look/Pull the strings that pull you/With luck you’ll unravel/Whatever/It’s pointless/I’ll see you in hell.” That very line about learning the lesson and putting down the book comes across as a statement about how children are made to just learn what they are being force fed and stop trying to learn for themselves. The seeming statement continues as the song states, “Play the game/And pay the state/Until you/Play the game until you masticate/Until you die/Play the game and fornicate/Until you die.” The further notes of “those brave few” who step into the light and get lost into the night seems a statement of how free thinkers disappear in the society that demands conformity. There is a lot of truth to this seeming statement. If in fact this is the message being delivered overall, then it is another unique way to address a familiar topic. It is further proof of the importance of the lyrical content presented in this record.
In perhaps the most interesting moment of all, the album seems to take on the matter of one’s personal faith in ‘Sticky.’ This as the song states, “Afterlife is just a myth/This life isn’t holy yet/I’m lost/Alone/I am my only loss and healing/Left to think for myself/I am no God/I have no God/Just lies and demons.” This certainly comes across as the mindset of an atheist, someone struggling to come to terms with the belief in a higher power. It is a mindset that will resonate with many listeners to that end. Keeping that in mind, this is yet another example of the importance of the lyrical content featured in Disillusion. When it and the other lyrical content examined here is considered alongside that of the album’s other songs, the whole therein makes the overall lyrical content just as important to the album as its musical arrangements.
The primary and secondary content featured throughout Disillusion are clearly key to making the album worth hearing. They are only a part of what makes the album at least somewhat engaging. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to its presentation. Going back to the fact that there is so much going on in each arrangement, what with the different metal styles and sounds in each, it meant a lot of attention had to have been given to each work to ensure their balance. Audiences will be pleased to know the mood changes and feeling in each arrangement fully immerse listeners thanks to the painstaking efforts that went into balancing the instrumentation in each composition. The result is a surprisingly rich aesthetic impact ensured through the production. When that aspect is considered alongside all of the equally unique primary and secondary content, the whole therein makes the album in whole easily among the most unique metal record released so far that is also worth hearing at least once.
Disillusion, the debut record from metal outfit Take & Take, is the most unique addition to this year’s field of new metal albums so far. It is a presentation that wholly defies expectations what with its musical arrangements, unique lyrical delivery and production. The arrangements blend elements of so many metal genres from one to the next and even within themselves, making for reason to take in the album alone. The lyrical themes (or rather, seeming themes) are delivered in such a unique fashion so as to ensure listeners’ engagement in themselves. The record’s production ensures the interesting arrangements and how they are built are expertly balanced so as to keeping audiences immersed. Each element examined is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered they make Disillusion an intriguing presentation that audiences will find worth hearing at least once.
Disillusion is available now. More information on the album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: https://takeandtake.rocks
