Seas Will Rise Disease Is Our Refrain

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Reviewed by: Joshua   //   Published: 3/28/2012

The sea is an ever-changing entity. One moment it’s churning and relentless, the next tranquil. Peaceful. Disease Is Our Refrain is equally varied. From D-beat to doom-laden sludge, Seas Will Rise’s debut full length is broad enough to keep listeners interested through its tenure. However, abrupt endings and an unbuffed production leave some sour aftertaste.

The predominant feel found on Disease Is Our Refrain is downtuned D-beat. As this genre has exploded in popularity it has also waned in creativity. Opener “A Sleeper’s Cell” suffers from heard-it-before riffs and an under produced sound. Thankfully, the more melodic follow up “In Dust and Blood” compensates, though the barely minute-plus track isn’t nearly long enough. It’s a reoccurring theme throughout Disease is Our Refrain. Some songs don’t feel fully realized. While “To Scratch Out A Life” and “Waves and Waves” are both taut shots to the gut, “Razed” and “Population Zero” both seem to end before they ever get going. Brevity is indeed king, but not at the expense of the song, especially after they work so hard to create an atmosphere.

That’s not to say that it doesn’t bring the water to a boil. The blast beats of “This Teardown Town” juxtapose nicely against the rest of the song’s groovy feel, as does the pissed off pessimism from “A Wish For the Earth” with the optimistic last line “Let’s all cross our fingers and hope for better luck next time.” Closer “In Warmer Graves” starts out as a slow, plodding epic and by then end it’s a maelstrom that fades out into a piano lick. Varied indeed.

The lo-fi production gives Disease Is Our Refrain a garage feel. It’s much better than their Cagematch EP, but still muddies the nuances. Guitar lines are lost and the chords, while still chunky, lack definition. Too much polish would rob the songs of their visceral and organic nature, but a little shine could go long way. There’s no doubt that those guitars are crushing live. On disc however, the sonics seem one-dimensional.

Seas Will Rise’s droptuned dirge works better in their slower songs where the burly notes can linger longer. The title track is sure to draw Crowbar comparisons with its mid-paced, off-time chord structure and strained vocals. It’s also arguably the best song on the album, which has one wondering if Seas Will Rise should lean more towards the stoner side of their sound more often to better contrast with their fast hardcore elements.

Bottom line: Disease Is Our Refrain is big step forward for Seas Will Rise, but it’s obvious they are cutting their songs short and not allowing them to really grow. It’s ok to leave listener’s wanting more, but Disease Is Our Refrain might leave some starving.

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