Social Disorder – Love 2 Be Hate Review

Just loved the name of the band and the trick with the name of the album. Loved even more to be deceived by the name because I thought this would be a Hardcore or Thrash Metal driven album, but in fact it turned to be a damn good Hard Rock with great influences of Deep Purple David Coverdale’s era. I said Hard Rock, but listening to the album again I guess that “Love 2 Be Hate” has many influences of the Heavy Blues of the late 1960 and early 1970 with touches of some Soul and Country music. The same as Deep Purple of “Burn” and “Stormbringer” era.

I guess that if “Love 2 Be Hate” were released in the 1970s it would be a blast hit. Or even in the middle of the 1980s. There are many features here that would allow it to be on top of the charts. The ballad “The One” is one of them. It’s here where I found the Soul influences. This ballad sounds pretty much as the ones made by some Funk bands or Black music artists from the 1970s. The same vibe and cadence with the slow and sweet piano. From where I’m standing I found it a bit cloying. Sugar is good but too much is too much. Last track, but not least, “Wings of Serenity” is an instrumental with fine taste. The kind that the fan doesn’t miss the vocals.

If the fan listen carefully to the album, it will be noticed that it goes in a diminuendo of intensity. It starts pretty cool and exciting with “Windy Road” which has a fine slow intro as a power ballad. From the beginning, the voice of Thomas Nordin soon reminds of David Coverdale’s and that’s why I connected the band with Deep Purple. Following the album, the four tracks that follow “Windy Road” keep the faith and heavyness. That’s the crescendo. The diminuendo starts with the ballad “Sail away” and then the touches of Soul and Blues increase and the heavyness diminshes. A quick look to the list of who’s-who of rock and metal greats tells a lot about the tracks and the change in vibes and heavyness. The easiest recongnizable stars are Tracii Guns (Guns N’ Roses, L.A. Guns) and Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake) from LA scene among many others. But the motto and the drive of “Love 2 Be Hate” is Hard Rock as I said before. The kind of Hard Rock that is really hard, not its soft like.

It’s so good to here an album like “Love 2 Be Hate.” We’ve been blessed with releases like this for really some time. Once in a while a band that cherishes this kind of music gives us their present.

Social Disorder “Love 2 Be Hate” will be released on JUne 18th via AFM Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Windy Road
  2. Dreaming
  3. Scars
  4. Love 2 Be Hated
  5. Raise a Glass
  6. Sail Away
  7. Down On My Knees
  8. Out of Love
  9. The One
  10. Wings of Serenity

Watch official music video here: