Disconnected Souls – Kintsukuroi (Extended Single)
Disconnected Souls – Kintsukuroi (Extended Single)
Self Released
Release Date: 05/08/22
Running Time: 11:28
Review by Dark Juan
8/10
Bonjour, wilkommen and bienvenue to (probably) another thousand words or so of “terrifying ranting” as the august Rory Bentley of Ever-Metal.com has characterised my wise and sage scribblings. Obviously the Hawaiian shirt-wearing botherer of long dead gigantic lizards (he sings in Diceratops) and wailer of such colossal proportions he is in danger of Jewish people lamenting near him doesn’t know sheer class when he reads it…
In other news, Mrs Dark Juan is listening to Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Rachel Fairburn on their “All Killa, No Filla” podcast and they have just quoted the newly adopted motto of Dark Juan.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have had that wank over that picture of an otter that looked like it had a pair of tits”.
I can picture the coat of arms with absolute clarity. The Royal College Of Arms is apoplectic already. Sable a thrustingly erect, throbbing penis argent, quartered with gules hairy, ample bazongas argent on the escutcheon, supported by otters rampant and the motto proudly scrolled underneath. The Queen has summoned me and it is expected that my MBE offer is to be rescinded and there has been unguarded talk about the Traitors’ Gate being pressed back into use at the Tower of London.
Hm. Perhaps Rory may have a point.
Let’s drag ourselves back to the reason I am writing this shit. You remember the review I wrote a while ago about a sampler from C-Squared Music? (https://www.ever-metal.com/2021/09/13/various-artists-c-squared-music-underground-music-special/ being the link you need to access this superb piece of descriptive writing) Disconnected Souls were on there (“Emergence + Divergence” being the song) and Dark Juan thought that they were really rather good, actually. Jolly hockey sticks and excellent to listen to whilst sipping Pimms, what. Anyway, I have grasped tightly in the sweaty mitt that might or might not have been used to achieve completion over a slightly moistened water rodent, the new single from these British genre-benders.
In classic Disconnected Souls fashion, they have thrown convention to the wind and on “Kintsukuroi” (being the ancient Japanese art of repairing cracks and splits in china and porcelain and the like with gold and lacquer, to enhance the break and the beauty of the piece by the repair, fact fans! I know. Literally no one asked, but I just can’t help myself) they once again sling everything including the kitchen sink and the entire cruet into the music and wait to see what occurs – this time a strong gothic influence wisps and weaves behind a clean vocal, although the bright, highly-produced guitar sound brings to mind American industrial metal and Evanescence AT THE SAME TIME with a sudden break into kawaii Japanese electronic industrial and the vocalist deciding that he has had enough of being nice and instead unleashes the full power of his throat before yet again there is another step change as guitar, drums and bass slowly build towards the climax of the song and then it trickles out on delicately played piano…
In many ways, Disconnected Souls are the metal equivalent of synthwave and the cinematic quality that genre of music has. DS’ music is easy to picture over (this song especially, on the instrumental version that comes after the one with the vocal terrorist on it) a slow-motion montage of explosions and a bunch of heroes being torn a new arsehole in some kind of neon-lit Shinjuku back alley by bio-armoured, wet-wared zaibatsu assassins until the last hero standing pulls out his plasma sword from the back sheath, thumbs the on switch are carves his way out in a welter of superheated cutting gas and steel, blood, bone and brains. Cut to bloodstained hero wearily leaving the pile of corpses, severed limbs and bio-neural circuitry behind him as he moves into the crowd on the main street, blending seamlessly into a faceless mob of brightly dressed, happy souls and out of the shot as the piano winds down.
Cinematic metal. That is how Disconnected Souls (who are based in Chester, by the way) describe themselves and I agree. Both the vocal and instrumental versions are slickly produced and coherent, especially considering the disparate influences weaving their way in and out of the tunes, and everything just WORKS. I really like this young and up and coming bunch of British bruisers (apart from Holly. She looks far too polite and pleasant to be a bruiser. Unless she is some kind of martial arts genius and Dark Juan is now in for a fucking good kicking) and I think a full album should be made post-haste, good gentlefolk.
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System awards 8/10 for a fine song that works both instrumentally and with vocals. Marks have been deducted because I wanted another song as well as the two versions of the same song, and also because I am a miserable, MISERABLE bastard.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Kintsukuroi
02. Kintsukuroi (Instrumental)
LINE-UP:
Matthew Simon Fletcher
Patrick Lloyd
Holly Royle
Felix King
Tim Jenkins
LINKS:
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Thank you so much! <3