Band of the WEEK

Disarray

Disaray are one ofthose bands that CAN do it and have what it takes to make a great band, and they are on their way to doing so. their last album ,In the Face of the Enemy, has gotten some very encouraging reviews, including here, on the reviews page> Iwarrior managed to get an interview out of bassist Vance Wright, so there you have it:





1. What bands does Disarray derive inspiration from?

VW: That could be a seriously long list. I think every band or artist we as musicians listen to inspires us, a little or a lot. We have the usual suspects; Sepultura, Pantera, pre-Black Album Metallica, Wrathchild America/Souls At Zero, to name a few. Of course, I listen to a lot of different kinds of music -- my CD collection is some of the most schizophrenic crap you're likely to ever see -- and it's inevitable that some of that is gonna find its way into how I express myself musically. Same goes for Chuck and Dave-O. From the early classics of our genre, like Sabbath, to some of the more current bands that we respect, like Skinlab and Pissing Razors, to the guilty pleasures that I won't admit to here, even to the local Nashville bands from back in the day, like Buzzkill and The Beast, we just kinda breathe it all in, and in some way it becomes part of who we are.



2. What do you think sets you guys apart from other bands in the metal scene?

VW: It's hard to say really, because when you say "metal" today, you encompass so many styles of music that are as different from each other as they are from, say, country or R&B. It's become very compartmentalized and narrow in definition, and there's not a lot of cross-pollenation going on between death metal and hardcore metal, or prog-metal and rap-metal. Slipknot, Prong, Queensr˙che, Cradle Of Filth, Judas Priest...none of those bands really have anything in common with each other, but they're all "metal". If I had to name a defining "something" that I think sets us apart, I'd say it would be the difficulty most people have trying to assign some label to what we do. We're just metal, plain and simple. No hyphen required.



3. What was it like working with GWAR's Oderus Urungus, the producer of In The Face Of The Enemy?

VW: For one thing, Dave "Oderus" Brockie is about as down to earth as they come, once he steps away from the Oderus persona; hidden beneath the latex and FD&C Red #5 is a very intelligent, savvy veteran of the business. The man is a repository of practical knowledge when it comes to how the business works, as well as the simple mechanics of how to make a good-sounding record. That may be the greatest benefit to working with someone like Brockie, because newer bands spend most of their existences reinventing the wheel. That's the great part about having someone on your team who's played the game -- and played it well -- for over a decade. He knew what he was going after, but more importantly, he knew what we were going after. Rather than try to remake us in his image, he listened to our ideas and showed us the best way of capturing who we are on tape; all the little things you can do as a band to make the music tight, to make it full, to give it the maximum impact on the listener. Of course, Brockie also surrounded himself with the best production team: co-producers Mike "Balsac" Derks and Jeremy Smith, and engineer Grant Rutledge. And we have to mention everybody at Slave Pit, for making us feel at home. Without a doubt the most enjoyable studio experience I've ever had, and likely WILL ever have.



4. The themes of optimism come up in your music. Do you think that the metal scene could use more of that and less negativity?

VW: For a lot of people, music is an escape hatch of sorts. It's where you go when you want to unplug from the job you hate, the bills that you never seem to get on top of, the tense domestic life...reality. Lately there has been a glut of bands that have cashed in on the politics of victimhood: all the problems you have can be blamed on someone other than yourself, be it your parents, your teachers, your preachers, the schoolyard bully from fourth grade, whoever. Big deal. You're responsible for your own happiness, and if you don't see to it, no one else will. Period. It's not just a musical statement we make; it's how we live our lives. Any earthworm can eke out a marginal existence for a while, but if you want true happiness, you have to fight for it. There's nothing glamourous about being a victim, and anyone who's content with that on their shield or their headstone might as well go ahead and get in the damn box.



5. I've noticed that you guys hail from Tennessee. What is the metal scene like down there?

VW: It's like the metal scene in a lot of towns we've played over the years. A lot of mediocre bands, a few good bands, and two or three that are as good as anything you'd find nationally. The problems are the apathy of the metal crowds in Nashville, and the lack of any good, solid metal clubs to play at. It wasn't always like that, though. Ten years ago, Nashville was a real hotbed; killer bands, great clubs that were almost always packed, and radio stations that supported us. Then the clubs closed, the bands got frustrated and broke up, and the bands that came up after were mostly uninspired play-by-the-numbers crap, which brings us to now. The clubs here don't promote the metal shows, the radio stations here don't play anything other than the mall-metal McMusic home office tells them to play, and a lot of the bands are too busy squabbling and feuding to work together and make a scene. It's not just Nashville either; we see that pretty much everywhere we go. A few exceptions, but they only prove the rule.



6. How did you guys come up with your name?

VW: That one falls squarely on Chuck's shoulders. He started the band in 1993, right out of high school; I'm not even sure he remembers where the Disarray name came from, and I've never heard the story. I do know that Chuck trademarked the name early on, with his own money, and it's paid off; in the two years that I've handled the website and other internet duties, I've found three different bands called Disarray, one of them in Germany. I will say this: it bothers me the number of people in America (Yale University students among them) who can and do routinely misspell "Disarray" on flyers, on marquees, and on message boards and emails, but a German band gets it right. It's depressing.



7. How would you guys describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it before?

VW: Solid, tight old-school metal. No bells and whistles, no gimmicks, just a groove that doesn't quit, heaviness, and lyrical integrity, in equal portions. Ultimately, if you haven't heard Disarray, printed or verbal descriptions are only gonna go so far; check it out for yourself, and make up your own mind.



8.Any final words?

VW: Check out the website at disarrayonline.com, demand In The Face Of The Enemy at your music stores and on your radio, and come see Disarray when we come to your town. We'll see you in the pit.