By Monk
Although they say that you should never judge a book by its cover, you could perhaps be forgiven for thinking that a band with a name like Social Disorder would be a bunch of angry-shaven punks from the sewers of somewhere like Los Angeles spewing forth anti-establishment hardcore. But, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth, as this particular outfit is based around Swedish guitarist/songwriter Anders Rönnblom, who may well be known to more knowledgeable ÜR readers as the mastermind of bands such as Killer Bees and X-Romance. And he recruited some pretty heavyweight company, including the inimitable Tracii Guns (well, there had to be an LA connection in their somewhere) and Rudi Sarzo, to help bring this latest project to life. Rönnblom’s assembled cast of guest stars also includes the likes of Armored Saint guitarist Jeff Duncan, King Diamond/Dream Evil drummer Snowy Shaw and sometime Rainbow keyboard player Dave Stone to help deliver his sonic vision…
‘Love 2 Be Hated’ is very much a labour of love for Rönnblom, as it is an autobiographical album, with the songs telling of his battles against alcohol and personal demons, and his subsequent path to personal redemption (although not in the religious sense). However, the album’s creator is keen to emphasize that it is not a concept work, with each song designed to stand on its own two feet – perhaps more of a travelogue into which one dips in and out, if you will? He is also equally eager to point out that, although he wrote and arranged all the songs, it also was very much a team effort, with the individual and collective contributors suggesting changes along the route and adding their own touches and nuances to the finished material. And, in both regards, the album definitely works, as you can listen to each song in isolation, enjoying each of them for what they are and taking your own meaning from same, while the finished product has a homogeneity of feel and a vibrancy that could not be obtained if all of its contributors had merely dialled in their performances as per a pre-ordained script recital.
One massive revelation from this album is the debut appearance of vocalist Thomas Nordin, who shows himself to be a massive talent, a vocalist very much imbued in the old school of classic rock singers, reminding heavily of the likes of Joe Lynn Turner (a comparator which apparently got him this gig in the first instance) and Jimi Jamison in both his delivery and range, the latter of which is very impressive and used in a way which matches the timbre of the individual songs and their moods, exercising restraint where others would go for needless OTT histrionics but without being afraid to let rip when needed. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nordin finds himself in heavy demand as a “go-to” vocalist for many similar melodic hard rock projects. And if ‘Love 2 Be Hated’ does nothing more than help in that regard, then it has worked.
But there is a lot more to the album than that: it is a rich and rewarding sonic experience which both demands and deserves repeated listenings, and a place in the collection of any self-respecting Scandi-rock aficionado.
- ‘Love 2 Be Hated’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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