Local Reviews: Disforia – Our Time Defined

Disforia
Our Time Defined

Self-Released
Street: 06.11

Disforia = Iced Earth lite + Blind Guardian + Dream Theater

Local power metal outfit Disforia’s first full-length album, Our Time Defined, is a well produced and sharpened collection that surprises with its organization and wide use of instruments. The strongest song on the album is “Of Wolves And Men”—it has a wonderful intro with faded, ancient vocals dancing over distortion and heartbeat-drumming. The guitar solo in the bridge is both hypnotic and haunting. Vocalist John Yelland is a force to be reckoned with, and conjures memories of Dream Theater with his soaring strength, but he would benefit from less cliché and more poetic, visual lyrics. The band’s use of keyboards is interesting without being overwhelming, peppering the songs in very appropriate places. While the drumming and bass are both solid, in the name of progressive metal, they could both be taken further, creatively speaking. Overall a surprisingly solid album with a sound you don’t hear many Utah bands attempting to conquer.