Regularly featured within these pages are Kent based titans Spreading the Disease who have been rather busy of late. They’ve released a new EP entitled Mindcell, recorded a video for “Voices” and, to top it off, have signed a deal with UK based Surgery Records. Spreading the Disease have also signed up to Darran Smith from Funeral for a Friend’s Monster Management company so I think that it’s fair to say that the band were certainly catching the attention of the people in the know. Having formed in 2014, they have been recording material fairly regularly with an album (Insurrection) and EP (Viral) under their belts. So how have the band progressed since those recordings now that Mindcell is upon us? Let’s find out…
Starting off with “Obsession”, there is no intro or melodic riff to get you settle into the EP. Instead it’s just sheer velocity and groove metal riffs reminiscent of Slipknot and Stone Sour mixed with Disturbed with a hint of melody in the chorus. Connor, the vocalist on this performance, certainly has a distinct vocal range switching from all out aggressive growls to clean vocals in the blink of an eye. Backed by drummer Jack and bassist and founding member Steve (being the sole member of the band’s current line up), Mindcell has certainly started off with a tune that sets the bar very high. Riffs from guitarists James and Martin are full on aggression through the songs but there is a Focus-era Cynic melodic touch towards the end, showing off their talent as proficient musicians.
Slipknot influences rear their ugly heads once again at the beginning of the second track before it resorts to all-out aggression and melodic touches. The range once again in Connor’s voice is commendable and contributes to making this track probably my favourite on the whole EP. This song has everything modern about it with hints of Machine Head and In Flames, and has been expertly put together to heighten the atmosphere and attention span for the listener. It can simply be described as a superb track. “The Anger Inside” is as the title suggest, angry. It has plenty of opportunities for the listener to sing along and will certainly get them involved in the live environment. With hints of Pantera and Machine Head, this track is for those that love to bang their heads.
“Waves” is probably the closest thing that Spreading the Disease could classify as a ballad. It has a nice intro from mastermind Steve before the guitars from James and Martin kick in and get the crowd jumping along. Again Connor’s mix of clean and aggressive vocals is commendable and I really do like the melodic parts within the song mixed with the overall aggression. “Conflicted” is no ballad and initially hits you like Pantera’s “Walk” before diversifying into a multitude of different genres and is definitely the most extravagant of all the tracks on the EP. There is once again a lot of Slipknot here but it’s definitely Spreading the Disease who’ve polished the finished product.
This is a most enjoyable EP from Spreading the Disease and one that should get them to climb the ladder. Once the dust has settled, Spreading the Disease will be looking to tour around a city near you. I have heard a few tracks by the band before this release and its easy to see the progress and belief in the music has reached its optimum here. It’s now up to the band to see if they can follow this up with something even better… which will certainly be a tough but exciting challenge.
Mindcell is out now
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