Customer Reviews

New World Disorder

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is undoubtebly one Of the Bio's weakest albums. I just can't get into it. At this stage of their career they had lost their way slightly. There are a couple of ok songs like 'Resist' and 'Dogs of war', but the rest of it is just rap-metal crap. This and Uncivilisation are their worst efforts. I picked up Kill or be killed recently and was really impressed by what I heard. As for those idiots who said Biohazard is jumping on the 'metalcore' bandwagon, they created this sound you morons, some 10 years ago!

New York City. Five boroughs big and filled from district to neighborhood with more urban folklore than a volume of Britanica Encyclopedias. Encompassing these mean streets that never sleep is a music scene so fierce and unrelenting that it had to be categorized as hardcore. Transcending the hardcore scene however is almost as difficult as rising from the gutters of NYC. Hailing from the NYHC scene, Biohazard, attempted just that leap of faith into the eyes of the mainstream with a fair amount of success earlier in the decade. Their modest beginnings in the underground gained them almost cult status from their self titled debut. However, duets with rappers Onyx and the success of their Warner Bros. effort State of the World Address established Biohazard as the crossover hardcore kings. Since that time the band as struggled with somewhat of an identity crisis. The quartet is may finally be coming to terms with their sound on "New World Disorder" as they begin to merge strong, song-orientated writing and catchy hooks with the angst and aggression of the hardcore roots. As one might fathom, however, it is not the easiest task in the world to bridge the gap between the gritty stance of the urban element and the mall-goth imagery of the suburban youth, meaning either one or the other is going to feel slighted somewhat after finishing the disorderly conduct ensuing on Biohazard's Island records offering. In the end, however, the interplay between Evan Seinfeld (bass, vocals) and Billy Graziadei (guitar, vocals) harkens back to their self titled debut, only with more polished productions. There are sing along chorus', moshable breakdowns and enough crossover potential to make every hoodlem from the mean street to the mall parking lot happy when witnessing the songs live. "New World Disorder" may not represent the comeback of the decade for Biohazard, but it does see them as a band taking some of the right steps in re-establishing themselves as a formidable part of the new-school-of-metal equasion.

I was never a big fan of "New World Disorder" since it's release in 1999, and I was afraid when I first heard this album that Biohazard was starting to lose their edge. Thankfully, I was wrong, but "New World Disorder" remains one of the few lowpoints for this otherwise incredible band. Songs like "Switchback", "End of My Rope", and "Skin" just seem so generic, so un-Biohazard that it makes me scratch my head at wondering if the band was trying to be more successful comemrcially here with this album. After all, this was released at nu-metal's height where it seemed any band with a rapping singer and downtuned guitars managed to sell a million albums in a week. While this album does have a few bright spots, this is definitely not Biohazard's finest hour. Check out "State of the World Address", the classic "Urban Discipline", "Mata Leao", "Uncivilization", and the recent "Kill or Be Killed" if you want to hear some of this band's best.

This cd definitely has more in common with "State of the World Address" than "Mata Laeo" in my opinion. I think this is a good thing because while "Mata Laeo" was a great cd, it tended to lack in variety when compared to their earlier stuff. Tracks like "Resist" and "Breakdown" are very heavy hardcore and create some of the best moshpits i've been in at a live show. While they add a newer type of melody with Evan singing on mellow songs like "End of my Rope"(with Billy doing the screams) and "Cycle of Abuse". He actually has a great voice, somewhat like the singer from Sentenced, if any of you have ever heard them. One of my favorite tracks has got to be "Dogs of War" which speaks out against our need to fight wars with each other if our greedy governments don't get their way. The lyrics are meaningful and the guitar playing and drumming is also definitely above average for this genre of music. If you're into the hardcore/metal crossover scene and don't mind some rapping in it (don't worry it's 100 times more skilled than the "rapping" of Fred Durst and all of the MTV rap groups out there) then this cd is right up your alley. Or if you just want to listen to some heavy music with great meaning that rebels against this messed up world then this would also be a great disc to pick up.

Biohazard was mixing metal and rap while Fred Durst and Jonathan Davis were still in the womb(well not that long ago, but you get my point). I think Biohazard and Pantera are the only 2 metal bands i can think of that have never softenend up their sound! All my other favorite metal bands(although im not complaining in many cases) have softenend up their sound with each album (Life of Agony, Fear Factory, Paradise Lost). This album kicks you in the stomach and makes you beg for more after the first track "Resist", keeps you hanging on all the way until my personal fav "Dogs of War". This album mixes State of the world address with Mata Leao's garage metal band sound, and it comes out great(seeing as how i love both those albums). Definatley pick this one up if you heard a biohazard song and liked it. These guys are the real thing, no commercial BS here!

Biohazard are one of the best bands around today, but they have gone virtually unrecognized and unheralded for the groundwork they've layed down for today's metal scene. Without Biohazard, I doubt we would have much of a rap-metal scene to speak of, and if we did, it sure wouldn't be the same. "New World Disorder" finds them at their peak, showing all the wannabe's how it's done. It's definetly their heaviest cd, but they throw a few curveball's at you, as evident on "End of my Rope" and "Cycle of Abuse", both of which are great songs. The rest are just pounding, heavy Biohazard songs with the trademark dual vocals of guitarist Billy and bassist Evan. Much of the newfound heaviness can also be traced to the aquisition of ex-Helmet guitarist Rob Echeverria, who adds a whole new level to their sound. Drummer Danny Shuler is just awesome, and I don't see why he isn't recognized as one of the best in the hardcore and metal worlds today. If you are a Biohazard fan, you will definetly like this cd, and if you haven't heard them yet, get this cd and their other masterpiece "State of the World Address" and see the true innovators at their best.

The guyz from Brooklyn rip out another killer CD, going back to the vicious hardcore/metal sound they had on their immortal album "State of the World Address." This is a far cry from Mata Leao, folks - not to say ML was a bad album, it wasn't...it was just missing a few things that make Biohazard the killing machine they are. "New World Disorder" lacks nothing in any sense of aggressiveness, power or fury, and opening track "Resist" will make you believe that from the second it hits your ears. It's the aural equivalent of a shotgun blast to the head, and that's just the first track, kiddies - Bio sports their new guitarist Rob for the first time in the studio on this album, and he not only holds his own, but adds a whole new layer to the band that they wouldn't have had without him. Evan's playing and vocals are getting better and better, and second track "Switchback" definitely proves that. The rest of the songs, the best being "Dogs of War," "Salvation," "End of My Rope," "Breakdown" and the title track (the only rap I can actually tolerate) all stand out in their own way. Don't listen to that other guy down there who says this album is pathetic, it deserves at LEAST a listen, because hardcore albums like this just don't appear that often. And besides, it's BIOHAZARD!

I don't understand why people don't like this album. In fact, all
Biohazard albums are excellent. What makes this band one of my
favorites. BUY ALL OF THEM NOW! Come to Brazil again.

1. Resist 3/5
2. Switchback 4/5
3. Salvation 3/5
4. End Of My Rope 5/5
5. All For None 3/5
6. Breakdown 2/5
7. Inner Fear On 3/5
8. Abandon In Place 3/5
9. Skin 2/5
10. Camouflage 2/5
11. Decline 3/5
12. Cycle Of Abuse 5/5
13. Dogs Of War 1/5
14. New World Disorder 3/5

TOTAL = 42/70 = 60% = 3 star album

I can't believe that so many people are saying...oh this isn't the best effort from biohazard, when its the best album they've produced "by far"...most of the songs are well done and are listenable which is something that most of their previous albums lacked...i can't even compare the previous stuff to this album, this to me is the peak of biohazard, this album is like a proper album, it has something to say and it has emotion and good rhythums and sounds and when people say it sucks compared to their older stuff...man that just shows what kind of people listen to what kind of music. if you like punk music loud and all over the place and yelling not singing...mixed with a deep voice of a guy who thinks he can rap then go and listen to the old biohazard...if you like good rhythms and heavy guitars, good singing, with a few melodic songs...then this is a good album to listen to...end of my rope and cycle of abuse...such great songs...how someone can say they suck and their old stuff is good makes no sense to me.

biohazard is back and off their medicine, like it had any effect, and better than ever. extreme music rules!