Beartooth, a rising metalcore band formed in 2012 in Columbus, released its third full length album, Disease, via Red Bull Records on Friday. With Disease, frontman Caleb Shomo delivers his most impressive vocal work to date, as each scream sounds acidic and raw, yet his clean vocals are polished and crisp, creating a perfect balance between melody and aggression. Disease is the follow-up to Beartooth’s 2016 breakthrough album, Aggressive, which garnered positive reviews from fans and critics alike.
Disease is an album that capitalizes on Beartooth’s ability to create catchy rock anthems while injecting an invigorating amount of hardcore influences into the music. With a tendency for gritty breakdowns and visceral screams peppered throughout, Beartooth follows a solid formula with the tracks on Disease, starting the songs with a soft and melodic intro before turning the intensity to 11. Each song delivers a barrage of riffs and growls leading up to the chorus, which is catchy and anthemic, before diving into well-executed breakdowns. It’s a formula that’s executed beautifully on tracks like “Greatness or Death,” “Disease” and “Fire.”
What separates Disease from the previous two Beartooth albums is the overall heaviness of the record. Disease is more riff-driven than the band’s previous efforts and has more of a punk/metal feel to it than the standard metalcore bands that Beartooth is associated with (Asking Alexandria, Motionless In White). Disease breaks the mold with an incredible brutal metal anthem “Bad Listener” and the ever-so-punky “You Never Know.”
Beartooth does regress at times on the record, especially with the ballad “Afterall,” which is a radio-friendly tune that does nothing to separate itself from the rest of Beartooth’s catalogue. If anything, “Afterall” is just another Beartooth song with better production. “Manipulation” is a track that tries to emulate the balance between aggression and melody but falls flat due to its repetitive lyrics and oversimplified breakdown. “Believe” is another ballad with solely clean vocals that sounds like a typical pop-punk track you’d hear inside of Journey’s.
There are some redeeming moments on the latter half of the album with “Infection,” “Enemy” and “Used and Abused.” Those tracks inject more heaviness into the record, bringing back some of the aggression that made the first half of the album so special. The breakdowns aren’t as brutal or fun as the earlier tracks, but they still provide nice sections to mosh to.
The album’s closer, “Clever,” is another ballad, but unlike the other ballads on the record, it beautifully showcases Shomo’s softer side while creating a sound that isn’t too pop-y. It’s a fun song to sing along to and a happy ending to an album that carries a dark and heavy tone.
Disease builds off of the vitriolic nature of Aggressive while polishing and refining the band’s signature sound of melodic hardcore. Disease is the best-sounding Beartooth record to date, and Shomo’s production on the album really shines with a crisp and clean sound for every snare hit and guitar riff. The album is mixed well, and listeners can hear every instrument clearly. That high quality production reflects the progression of Shomo and Beartooth not only as a band, but musicians. Disease is a quality addition to Beartooth’s fairly young discography, and despite some miscues, it still is a fun and well-executed album.
Disease is available on all streaming services and you can catch Beartooth on Nov. 17 at Express Live in Columbus with Knocked Loose and Sylar. Tickets are available on the band’s website.
Rating: 8/10
