Disconnected Souls is a hyper-diverse blend of musical elements meant to push boundaries to limits rarely explored. Multiple vocalists weave around each other track after track, creating complex interactions that will have you constantly referring to the lyric sheet as you study this album. This is not a record you put on and walk away from. The concept is intricate and the lyrics reflect that depth, coupling with the music to deliver something you have to dig into. You will want to understand this record, not just hear it. Take the time to revel in the theatrics, to delve into the meaning of what is being sung and how it matches with the instrumental elements, crafting more than just a bunch of songs, instead giving you enough to play the movie within your mind.

https://disconnectedsouls.bandcamp.com/

Band Members:

  • Patrick Lloyd – Vocals (Clean and Harsh), Programming
  • Matthew Simon Fletcher (Fletch) – Guitars, Backing Vocals, Keys, Bass, Programming
  • Holly Royle – Guitars, Clean Vocals, Keys, Programming
  • Felix Luca King – Clean Vocals, Synths, Programming
  • Tim Jenkins – Synths, Keys, Programming, Guitars

Release Date:

January 19, 2024 – Self Released

Tracklist:

  1. Delirium
  2. Dissonant Whispers
  3. Plague Rats
  4. Petrichor
  5. Symbiont
  6. Kintsukuroi
  7. Human Error
  8. Loveless
  9. Silence of the Doves
  10. Fragments (Feat. Jeremy Valentyne)
  11. Monachopsis (A Waltz at the End of the World)
  12. Iyashikei

Disconnected Souls is not just the name of the band, it is the musical ideal they aspire to. “Delirium” opens with eerie tones that sound like they are from a theremin and a spoken word countdown that leads to Harsh vocals and a heavy rhythm, only to see all that drop back out and clean female vocals come in supported by a melodic rhythm. Those clean vocalizations continue with the harsh vocals as the song shifts through a wild progression of riffs and rhythms. The shifts are whiplash-fast and almost violent. Robotic voices enter. This is chaos in musical form.

Much of the album mirrors that track, working through intricate, theatrical shifts in time and tempo. Track two has clean male vocals mixed with a clean female voice. “Dissonant Whispers” is a more melancholic offering, though it also has heavy sections. You get a slow, chugging rhythm in some areas, almost like NWOBHM at 10% of the normal speed. It’s an interesting take that plays well within this song.

Both vocals and instruments are used to create an ambiance and indicate different moods and feelings. Sometimes, those feelings are a contradiction to the meaning of the title. “Petrichor” is defined as the pleasant smell after the first rain in a long time, yet the opening does not evoke pleasant thoughts. That heaviness brings a storm to mind, but you must have the rainstorm to get to the “Petrichor,” right? There can be no beauty without ugliness and joy without despair.

Each musician on this record plays multiple roles, either vocally, instrumentally, or both. I would be willing to bet this is to allow for each musician’s personal influences to be reflected on the record in more than one way. Their influences must be vast. On this record, you get EDM, Jazz, Progressive Metal, Heavy Metal, Blues, Video Game, and much more. At times, it feels like the Progressive elements are forced into the songs with more of a desire to explore than to fit the song. Heavy keys and programmed drums with harsh vocals, harp, piano, and a jazzy saxophone are impressive, but at times overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, it takes immense talent to do that, but I got a bit anxious as it felt like too much was hitting me at once.

The album wraps on an instrumental, “Iyashikei.” This song nailed the progressive instrumentation elements. The keys and the programming are beautifully in sync and the added instrument appears to be a xylophone, which works well in this song. Sure, a few tracks are more than I know what to do with, but overall, this is an excellent example of what Progressive music can do, how it can challenge the status quo of what music is and what it can be. Disconnected Souls may just be writing the music of 2050 in a couple of decades before we are fully ready for it.

MZ Ratings:

Musicianship:

  •             Guitars – 9
  •             Rhythms – 9
  •             Vocals – 9
  • Songwriting – 8
  • Production – 9

Overall – 8.80