Biohazard Album: “New World Disorder”

New York City. Five boroughs big and filled from district to neighborhood with more urban folklore than a volume of Britanica Encyclopedias. Encompassing these mean streets that never sleep is a music scene so fierce and unrelenting that it had to be categorized as hardcore. Transcending the hardcore scene however is almost as difficult as rising from the gutters of NYC. Hailing from the NYHC scene, Biohazard, attempted just that leap of faith into the eyes of the mainstream with a fair amount of success earlier in the decade. Their modest beginnings in the underground gained them almost cult status from their self titled debut. However, duets with rappers Onyx and the success of their Warner Bros. effort State of the World Address established Biohazard as the crossover hardcore kings. Since that time the band as struggled with somewhat of an identity crisis. The quartet is may finally be coming to terms with their sound on "New World Disorder" as they begin to merge strong, song-orientated writing and catchy hooks with the angst and aggression of the hardcore roots. As one might fathom, however, it is not the easiest task in the world to bridge the gap between the gritty stance of the urban element and the mall-goth imagery of the suburban youth, meaning either one or the other is going to feel slighted somewhat after finishing the disorderly conduct ensuing on Biohazard's Island records offering. In the end, however, the interplay between Evan Seinfeld (bass, vocals) and Billy Graziadei (guitar, vocals) harkens back to their self titled debut, only with more polished productions. There are sing along chorus', moshable breakdowns and enough crossover potential to make every hoodlem from the mean street to the mall parking lot happy when witnessing the songs live. "New World Disorder" may not represent the comeback of the decade for Biohazard, but it does see them as a band taking some of the right steps in re-establishing themselves as a formidable part of the new-school-of-metal equasion.

This cd definitely has more in common with "State of the World Address" than "Mata Laeo" in my opinion. I think this is a good thing because while "Mata Laeo" was a great cd, it tended to lack in variety when compared to their earlier stuff. Tracks like "Resist" and "Breakdown" are very heavy hardcore and create some of the best moshpits i've been in at a live show. While they add a newer type of melody with Evan singing on mellow songs like "End of my Rope"(with Billy doing the screams) and "Cycle of Abuse". He actually has a great voice, somewhat like the singer from Sentenced, if any of you have ever heard them. One of my favorite tracks has got to be "Dogs of War" which speaks out against our need to fight wars with each other if our greedy governments don't get their way. The lyrics are meaningful and the guitar playing and drumming is also definitely above average for this genre of music. If you're into the hardcore/metal crossover scene and don't mind some rapping in it (don't worry it's 100 times more skilled than the "rapping" of Fred Durst and all of the MTV rap groups out there) then this cd is right up your alley. Or if you just want to listen to some heavy music with great meaning that rebels against this messed up world then this would also be a great disc to pick up.

Biohazard are one of the best bands around today, but they have gone virtually unrecognized and unheralded for the groundwork they've layed down for today's metal scene. Without Biohazard, I doubt we would have much of a rap-metal scene to speak of, and if we did, it sure wouldn't be the same. "New World Disorder" finds them at their peak, showing all the wannabe's how it's done. It's definetly their heaviest cd, but they throw a few curveball's at you, as evident on "End of my Rope" and "Cycle of Abuse", both of which are great songs. The rest are just pounding, heavy Biohazard songs with the trademark dual vocals of guitarist Billy and bassist Evan. Much of the newfound heaviness can also be traced to the aquisition of ex-Helmet guitarist Rob Echeverria, who adds a whole new level to their sound. Drummer Danny Shuler is just awesome, and I don't see why he isn't recognized as one of the best in the hardcore and metal worlds today. If you are a Biohazard fan, you will definetly like this cd, and if you haven't heard them yet, get this cd and their other masterpiece "State of the World Address" and see the true innovators at their best.

This album has some awesome lyrical content! The music goes nicely with the in-your-face irritated mood that you need to vent! Check it out and rock on!

biohazard is back and off their medicine, like it had any effect, and better than ever. extreme music rules!