Review: Disengage

Disengage
““Obsessions Become Phobias””
(Mans Ruin Records)

Oh yeah, big ol’ Quicksand like guitars and crush-you rock groove.  This is big sounding wall of guitar rock (the kind that can just bang on a single chord and keep it engaging…or dis-engaging as the case may be).  Not too shy to throw down a small guitar solo in here so this drips with a contemporary pure rock vibe.  A little more indie rock than say Fu Manchu and those other greaser rock trips, but Disengage could rock a similar bill.  There’s a good deal of riff and singer Jason Byers has a clean smooth delivery that can tap into an aggressive vibe without losing the clarity (again, a good comparison would be Walter Schreifels of Quicksand).  “The time has come to close the churches – castrate leaders – we don’t need them anymore” from “Every Sunday” has a stick in your head flow.  The offbeat that carries “Angels Night” shows the drummer isn’t slacking by inserting an almost jazz snap to his snare amongst the sliding big chords.  “Exhaust” shows the band slowing its pace and shooting for a deeper sound, but its tool-ish moody sludge doesn’’t hold a candle to the pushed aggression of the opening sessions on this disc.  The band explores this dynamic in the middle of the disk, which drags the momentum of a whole albums listen.  “Promise Keeper” has a great original drumbeat that is sliced with an equally quirky bass riff before the guitar feedback clicks into time with the whole thing.  Most definitely challenging and different…and it still rocks.   Disengage seem to be able to draw from the big rock as well as push some of the moodier moments into more melodic tangents (with Byers voice keeping it held tightly together).  Lock n load, click…Disengage.