Review by Felix on January 2, 2026.

Thrash metal and Sweden – this combination sounds very promising. Disarray was unknown to me until I read the booklet of Mezzrow’s “Embrace The Awakening”, but now their second album Religious Disease has entered my CD player. The quintet has a weak spot for the old Bay Area school in terms of style and with respect to their frequency of publication. Two full-length albums and an EP since 2023 are evidence of a healthy work ethic. These dudes aren’t lazy – and they don’t hate their bass player. His instrument is not doomed to hum barely audibly in the background. It contributes its part to the crispy, dry, and down-to-earth production. Good luck to the band and listeners; the sound engineers have done justice to the material.

Music-wise, Religious Disease does not copy the role models. Disarray is not as sharp as early Exodus, not as progressive as Slayer on “Hell Awaits,” and less smooth than Testament. This form of being something does not make the band the hottest, most individual shit the global thrash scene has to offer these days. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that no riff on Religious Disease has been heard a thousand times before, and I also like to emphasize that the songs do not lack a high degree of dynamic. The Swedes do not seek salvation in permanent high velocity, but they connect mid-fast sequences and mercilessly attack parts competently. This and the fact that their type of thrash is absolutely immune to foreign influences indicate a deep understanding and a lot of passion for the genre they have chosen. Well, an album can be created under less favorable circumstances, right?

Over the entire playtime of nearly 50 minutes, the band does not show any signs of lethargy, leniency, or indifference. The material blows one pressure wave after another into the listener's ears. Okay, if you want to find something negative under the microscope, you could perhaps moan about a comparatively high level of uniformity in terms of style and quality of the ten tracks. All of them are good, but are there outstanding highlights? Honestly speaking, I needed some spins to realize that the band has more to offer than “only” ten well-placed punches in the face (including the cool bonus track 'Inhuman Reign'). But now I return with great pleasure to 'Nightmarish Gaze' or 'Apostate', songs, which make the difference between a good and an outstanding album. Nevertheless, the album works as a whole, and it would be almost a sin to ignore the further tracks (and remember, Ozzy, Lemmy, and some more are watching us! Or Jeff Hanneman – it doesn’t matter). So let’s have a look at 'Hell’s Fire', because its rasping guitars, combined with an ominous guitar line at the beginning and the end, and its growing intensity serve as an almost perfect example of the way these dudes like to thrash. Therefore, it is no problem at all that a few parts or solos on the album are going nowhere – mostly they all find their aim.

In a nutshell, good thrash metal is still not threatened with extinction. As long as Germany (Ravager, Warfield…), the United Kingdom (Solitary, Xentrix...) and Sweden (Mezzrow, Disarray…) stand strong, the future for the genre is more or less golden. And those who say that the genre is limited, you are right. But it is the most honest metal genre without big images, costumes, and something like this – and honesty is always limited. When it's three o'clock in the afternoon, it's just that time and nothing else. So what? There’s nothing wrong with it. And the same goes for Disarray’s Religious Disease.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10