Murder Disco X – Ground Zero Stuttgart / 2006 Profane Existence / 12 Tracks / http://www.murderdisco.de / http://www.profaneexistence.com / Reviewed 01 March 2006

This is an all-star band if I ever heard one; Murder Disco X has members of Severed Head of State, Cluster Bomb Unit and Detestation. Of course, there have been a number of bands that have sucked it up royally that could be called “All-Star” (including acts like the Damn Yankees). However, there is no need to worry with Murder Disco X, as “Robots” starts off this disc with simple but intense guitar riffs and screamed-out vocals.

The earliest stages of this disc are what really solidify the band as deserving of continued listening. This is not necessarily crust, but really seems to follow the Bad Religion brand of guitar rock and a greater acceptance of thrash metal for tracks on “Ground Zero: Stuttgart”. The band can work in the tightest confines as “Wanna Play?’s runtime does not break a minute without the band falling pray to a syncopated song. The band can re-use guitar riffs with only the slightest alterations and completely change the context in which they are in to both keep the tempo of the disc up as well as to keep a common thread going. There are a few covers that individuals that are in the know will snap up; both Terveet Kadeet (El Enaa Koskaan Sotaa) and Arm the Insane (Self Destruct) are given valuable time on this disc. Twelve tracks run their couse in under twenty minutes; the replay value of this disc is amazing and songs like “Torture Inc.” allow for a catchy guitar line to knock the listener’s legs out from under them and then the multi-vocal attack to wait on them when they are done. Ending the disc with “Rotten Inside”, Murder Disco X really add another brand of fury to their recordings that does not subside even when the guitars cease to innovate in the spaces between the choruses.

Each of the tracks on “Ground Zero Stuttgart” come out with a different approach from what most of the acts on Profane Existence try to do; the band seems to have more in common with Hellacopter and Gluecifer than Disrespect. “Self Destruct” is really crafted into Murder Disco X’s sound well; the guitars seem to be a mixture of Murder Disco X and the original track but this minor deviation really makes for a different sound on the disc. Fun throughout and with an intensity that is matched by a small few.

Top Tracks: Jihad My Ass , Fool or Liar

Rating: 6.4/10

[JMcQ]