Review DISBELIEF ‘Killing Karma’

Disbelief is one of the cornerstones of German death metal. The Hessian band was founded in 1990 and with ‘Killing Karma’ the latest release shows why the band is such a constant factor.

Four years after releasing a great album called ‘The Ground Collapse’, Disbelief returns with nine new songs, while some formats also include three additional CD bonus tracks with ‘Condemnation’, ‘Millennium’ (Killing Joke cover) and ‘Fragile Aeon’.

An integral part of Disbelief’s sound is Jagger’s vocals. His oldschool growls are a defining element of the sound and are all the more important as the band is in the process of rebuilding after finishing work on this album, since David Renner, Jochen Trunk and Marius Pack parted ways with Disbelief.

The album begins with ‘Reborn’. It’s a slower track with a 666 approach and it’s the first of three songs with guest appearances. Jagger invited Michelle Darkness (End Of Green) and Joschi (Undertow) to add some vocals to four songs. Besides the powerful opener, the crushing “The Scream that Slowly Disappears”, “Millnium” and the dark and gloomy “Flash of Inspiration” are enriched by the vocals of the two guests. Especially the latter gains a lot of intensity as it is the track where the impact of the two frontmen is most obvious.

‘Killing Karma’ is a brutal longplayer that deals with desperation, grief and helplessness. Each of these three emotional worlds is brought to the fore in each of the songs and it is Jagger’s way of singing, growling and screaming that transports this emotional rollercoaster in an excellent way.

With steamroller intensity the album rolls over everything in its path and there is no way to escape when songs like ‘Morbid Man’ are thrown at you. These riffs hit you like a wrecking ball and it is pure desperation that forms the basis of songs like ‘The End Of Gods’.

Disbelief adds with ‘Killing Karma’ another brutal album to their discography. Grief and misery are embedded in every note of the album and hitting the ‘start’ button means you have to be ready to embark on a journey through the world of pain and sorrow. ‘Killing Karma’ is the long-awaited great new release from Disbelief and it can easily compete with the band’s previous milestones.