Review Summary: A forgotten band with a lot of potential that could have been a great success.
The Buzzhorn, an American hard rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sounds familiar? Probably not; this is one of those underrated rock bands that never got any of the attention they deserved. They made one demo and one EP before finally releasing their debut album "Disconnected". The band split about a year after the release of this album, mainly because it didn't sell too well. So is this really such a bad album? No. Not in my opinion, anyway.
The album starts off with a very solid song ("To Live Again"). It really introduces the listener to the band's style without revealing too much about the rest of the album. I like the way Ryan Mueller uses his vocals; not too much of the heavy stuff, yet it is strong. This song may not be one of the most exciting songs off the album, but it's certainly a good way to start off an album like this. "Ordinary" is my personal favorite. This song really shows what this band is capable of: heavy guitars, strong vocals and also some great lyrical work; it shows that this band knows what variation is about. This is one of those songs that doesn't let you go until you've listened to it all the way through; overall a very catchy song. Followed by "Satisfied", which feels like a natural follow-up to the previous song; it sounds similar in some ways, but yet it feels different; it's a little heavier in most respects (vocals, guitars, etc.), yet it reminds you of "Ordinary" In some ways.
The fourth song ("Pinned To The Ground") is a completely different story compared to the previous tracks. It starts off with an acoustic guitar, which is really easy to listen to and appreciate; it keeps the listening experience fresh and gives you a reason to keep listening. This is actually one of the softest songs on the album, with very basic lyrics, but that doesn't deprive of it's quality. The next song ("Out Of My Hands") is okay in my opinion, but I find the lyrics to be a little cliché; just your plain old ordinary love song lyrics. It's also too 'happy' for my taste; the melody and vocals are kind of bland. But like I said, it's an okay song. "Isn't This Great" goes back to the basics (kind of where "Satisfied" left off); it's one the heavier songs on this album, but the overall melody isn't that special; too little variety. "Disconnected" (the title track) has the same problem, but it's a little worse this time; I really don't like the vocals in this one. Not a bad song; let it pass.
One of my favorite songs is "Come See Me"; the acoustic guitars they use in the verses makes this a very relaxing song, yet it keeps you alert in the chorus with some nice rhythm guitars.
The action comes back in "Rhino", which is also one of my favorites. I love how much variety it has; the verses basically tell you that this song is serious business, but then the mood changes to the almost complete opposite in the chorus. This is one of the album's more solid songs.
"Waste Of A Man" really knows how to make your blood boil. It gives you an easy start in the beginning, but than it strikes back at you in the chorus. I'm also really fond of this song's lyrics: "So drop me off on a corner in Heaven,
all alone in a bulletproof vest". Now that's epic. Overall a very good song, followed by "Carry Me Home", which is a relief to listen to after the previous song; it's very soft, maybe even a little bland compared to the rest of the album, but that's what makes this song fit in so well. This is a very basic song.
The last song of this album, "Holy Man", is a very strange case. It's very different from the rest of the album in terms of melody and vocal work; it takes you through the song one step at a time by repeating a lot of the lyrics. That wouldn't be such a bad thing if the song weren't almost 6 minutes long. Now let me start by saying I have nothing against long tracks. Just as long as they have enough variety, which this song clearly hasen't; a lot of the lyrics are being repeated over and over and I can't help but get tired after 3 minutes of listening to it. This would have been an okay song if wasn't so damn long; 3-4 minutes would have been enough.
So overall it's a pretty good album. Not too special, but it's a very solid piece of musical art. Most of the songs off this album were enjoyable to say the least (with a few exceptions) and I'm certain that this band would have had a lot of potential had they decided to stay together.
Recommended tracks:
Ordinary
Satisfied
Rhino
Pinned To The Ground
Waste Of A Man
Album rating:
3.5/5
