Review Summary: Lose Your Delusion Too falls just short of its predecessor, but that said, it is still a tremendous achievement and a highly memorable record that shouldn't be missed.
There seems to be many different opinions regarding how long it takes to create a great record nowadays. Here, we seem to have two extremes and everything in between, of course. At one end of the spectrum, we have Tool, who insist on disappearing completely for four years after each record, only to reappear with a top-selling, top quality album and become, once more, the centre of the music industry. Some, such as Nine Inch Nails, are hindered by the harsh grasp of the music industry, stuck in a constant war against their record labels to release the music as the respective artist intends to release it. Then, at the other end, we have Over-Reactor. In 2010, they have released two, count 'em, two full-length albums - both of stunning quality, originality and consistency. Better yet, they have both been offered up for free, with no strings attached, as a statement of the band's real passion for music and their unending distaste for what the industry has become. And while Lose Your Delusion Too falls just short of its predecessor, it is still a tremendous achievement and a highly memorable record that shouldn't be missed under any circumstances.
It is no question that this record has almost everything the first fundamentally had: quality, originality, and consistency as previously mentioned. Almost every which is all the more impressive given that this is the band's second album in twelve months, and has come only six months after their stellar debut. This time, however, they truly push the boundaries. Right from the get-go, the band jump into weirder territory with the shizophrenic "Word", which is driven by a memorable start-stop beat and Ezekiel Ox's brooding yet frantic vocals. The listener instantly knows they are in for something different to the first record. Over-Reactor showcase their new electronic influences on "Mechanism" and "The Gangbangers", the former of which is almost like an industrial take on "Naked Words", and a likely first single. "Control of This" is, without a doubt, the album's best track, and possibly the best track the band have ever written, which is hugely impressive considering the likes of "All Shields Down" and "Handfed", from their excellent debut. Its syncopated bass line and sickeningly coarse vocals will send chills up the listener's spine - it is unlike anything the band have written before, and truly shows Cory Blight's edge and individuality as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. "Best of Worst" trails just behind - it is another of the band's best tracks, and an unforgettable one at that. On "Wasteland", another album highlight, Ox proves that he is just as capable as the likes of Chino Moreno and Greg Puciato. Just past the 2.45 mark, he lets rip with a blood-curdling scream that would startle even the likes of Mike Patton upon first listen. Through each, the riffs sear with precision, and the drums batter with brute force to great effect.
While quite diverse when considering its individual parts, the album, as a whole, does suffer from a noticeable issue of sameness. While Ox is a tremendous vocalist, his style becomes rather predictable by about half way through the album. In addition, Blight's repeated emphasis on downtuned riffs also succumbs to redundancy, despite his consistently varied and groove-based drumming which is certainly a highlight of the band itself. Tracks like "Firing Squad" and "You Ain't Got It" come across as half-baked attempts at hardcore punk, and in the end really just seem like filler. If Over-Reactor expect to move forward, they must focus more on projecting their music in sniper fire rather than shotgun blasts, and try to take their energy to a smaller number of songs. They show on tracks like "Word", "Best of Worst" and "Control of This" that they are truly capable of this, and if taking on this approach means releasing only one album a year, then so be it. They would be all the better for it.
That said, throughout the album's duration, Over-Reactor show that they have improved far beyond the bounds that 6 months would usually allow for. They show they are capable of experimenting with new sounds and structures ('The Fix Is In", "Word") and dabble in electronica to great effect ("Mechanism", "The Aliens Have Landed"). And while there is a slight issue of sameness, some of the album's individual parts are absolutely stunning. Even completely putting aside the fact that this is the band's second album in a year, this is still an unmissable rock record that only just falls short of their previous effort. Without a doubt, Lose Your Delusion Too is one of the year's best.
