History & Biography Illdisposed was formed in the dairy centre of Denmark, namely Aarhus, in 1991. The band quickly made its mark through the demo tape The Winter Of Our Discontempt and an appearance on Progress Red Labels' (later Diehard) Fuck You, We're From Denmark sampler. The band's next move was the Four Depressive Seasons EP of June 1993 (later re-issued with a new cover) which established the band's trademark 'subwoofer' vocals. The band also appeared on Nuclear Blast's Grindcore sampler in that year. The line-up here was Bo Summer, Michael Enevoldsen (who would leave in order to play faster!), Ronnie R. Bak and Lasse D.R. Bak. Guitarist Hans Wagner left due to substance use in 1994 - in what would almost become a pattern for the band - but the band had already toured with Sinister and Wargasm in Europe. Morten Gilsted was added for the band's debut full-length which was promoted through Nuclear Blast because Progress had signed a licensing deal with the German label after failing to come to terms with SPV distribution. Return From Tomorrow was again recorded at Borsing Recordings. The band toured with Disgust and Haggard in 1995 and Lasse made sure he would perform on-stage naked. Helvede was a sampler, but also featured the band's demo material. Hansen very soon replaced Hald on drums. Submit was produced by Tommy Hansen at The Jailhouse Studio.
Tore Mogensen's first album appearance was on There's Something Rotten... Illdisposed played at the Roskilde Festival in 1998. Next up was the Retro CD featuring covers and more covers following which drummer Thomas Sølvkæde Muskelbuks joined the act. By this time, the band had been turfed from Diehard, but re-signed after the relationship was patched. The band had also contributed music to a film called Mainland Headbanging in 1998. The boys were briefly in the spotlight again when Lasse Bak was charged with assaulting a policeman in 2003 at a soccer match.
Kokaiinum featured a song called Fear Bill Gates! The band's relationship with Diehard had broken down again and the music was described by the band as sub-par and the production half-hearted because the band was forced to work with producer Jan Borsing. The band signed to Roadrunner for four albums and began work on a new album in 2004. The boys also found time to appear on an At The Gates covers CD called Slaughterous Souls - A Tribute To At The Gates. A tour with Death Angel was planned for 2004, but fell through when the band and the promoter could not reach agreement. The band and guitarist Lasse Bak parted ways again in early 2005. A DVD was issued and the group released Burn Me Wicked in the spring. The band was dropped by Roadrunner Records in 2007 and signed with AFM Records instead. Guitarist Martin Thim left in late 2007 because he lacked the time to dedicate to the band. Thomas “Muskelbux” Jensen soon joined. The Prestige made it unto the Danish charts. The band picked To Those Who Walk Behind Us as the title for its new album, which was out on August 28th of 2009 through its newest label, Massacre Records. Illdisposed drummer Thomas Jensen inexplicably sat out the band's shows for June and July of 2010 and was temporarily replaced by Morten Toft Hansen of Raunchy. Illdisposed announced There Is Light (But It's Not For Me) as the title for its next album, which was due March 25th, 2011 through Massacre Records. The band lost guitarist Franz Hellboss in the summer of 2011. His replacement was "Smukke" Ken Holst. Illdisposed would release its next album, Sense The Darkness, on September 21st, 2012 through Massacre Records. The album was recorded at Antfarm Studio in Aabyhøj, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen. Drummer Thomas Jensen left the band in late 2013 due to demotivation. Kim Langkjaer Jensen (Koldborn and ex-Dawn Of Demise) who had been working with the band is in. Illdisposed would release a new album, called With The Lost Souls On Our Side, on June 27th 2014 through Massacre Records. Kussen was on bass now. The Eindhoven Metal Meeting announced that the eighth edition of the annual festival is taking place December 16 and 17th 2016 at the Effenaar venue in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Bands playing included Harakiri In The Sky, Protector (SE), Hail Of Bullets, Hell (UK), Illdisposed and Destruction. There was a 2019 album, called Reveal Your Soul for the Dead, that got as much publicity as a singer in the desert owing to the issuing label being Massacre. Guitarist Rasmus Henriksen joined in 2019. The band was playing concerts in 2022. Denmark’s Næstved Metalfest was to take place in August 2023 Grave, Illdisposed and Cabal were among acts booked. Being illdisposed, the group parted ways with guitarist Rasmus “Hække” Henriksen. The band welcomed back Ken Holst. The band was booked for Harnbarg Metalfest for 2024. Illdisposed was embarking on a European tour with Defacing God in September 2024. The two had also booked a tour two years prior. A new album, In Chambers Of Sonic Disgust, was released through Massacre Records in the summer.
Reviews ILLDISPOSED - KOKAIINUM - DIEHARD
The new and awaited Illdisposed (annoyingly named Kokaiinum and monikered www.illdisposed.dk on the cover - so ever passé) is here and it is good to report that Bo has retained his very low-register growls and the music is still crunchy death metal. Not much has changed otherwise which is always good news when a band is good to start. It doesn't reach the height of brutality of the Return From Tomorrow MCD, but the album is crushing in its own right. There is a healthy interaction of brutality and the occasional melodic lead work, and while the material is mostly mid-paced a track like Kokaiinum applies the pedal to the (death) metal. A couple of titles here are suspect, namely A Girl And Her Boss ('show me your tits and I'll show you mine') and Fear Bill Gates but that's just Illdisposed for you. After all this is the band that was once kicked off the label for 'inappropriate behaviour'. Love 'em or hate 'em they are heavier than anything else going on in Europe right now! - Ali "The Metallian"
ILLDISPOSED - IN CHAMBERS OF SONIC DISGUST - MASSACRE
The fifteenth album by Denmark-based Illdisposed (at sixteen only Cannibal Corpse could claim more death metal albums) begins with a track featuring sirens wailing. Is it the sound of panic? One hopes those are posers and wimps the band is targetting.
The music greets us with a warm production and a great sound except for the cymbals, which are muffled and artificial sounding. The first impression is also of the ominous voices before the deep(ly processed) vocals come in and the mid-paced tempo. The song has effects on it. Does the Spitting Your Pain title make sense, by the way? I Walk Among The Living has almost a different tempo and sound. It is a more modern and stripped down sound. It is something of a contrast because the vocals have remained the same over the years and are deep growls. The track is not the fastest, but faster. The melodic music is from a tight band, but there are more effects on this one. Lay Low is simultaneously a video clip. The music is akin to Dark Tranquillity or Withering Surface and the same electronic effects one could do without. Not sure what the backstory of the two fighters engaged in hand combat in the video is, but the headbutts are pretty blase. Reading the lyrics would probably be helpful. Either way, the slow to mid-paced track is not the best out there. The female backing vocals, courtesy of someone called Sandie The Lillith, are much more audible on track 8 than they are here. Female guest vocals are usually useless because they are some sappy soprano-wanna be exiting the music from the metal realm, but these are no female crooning.
The 2001 album Kokaiinum had a song called Illdisposed and here comes The Ill-Disposed with a nice melodic solo, heavy riffs and drums that are more potent than its predecessor. Flying Free's guitar sound takes one back to mid-period Carcass and no one is going to miss the absent effects here. It is a good song with a catchy melodious rhythm. Start Living Again's weapons’ fire dub provides a contrast to the whistling and upbeat electronic sound. This one is an annoying song given the video game synthesisers and guitar effect in spite of the powerful start. For Us offers both an impressive bass and guitar solo. A reminder, perhaps, that the band and musicians have been around and can handle their instruments with skill.
In Chambers Of Sonic Disgust is not Illdisposed’s best and clearly not their most brutal, but certainly a good enough proposition to merit a mark of 70 from us. It is not a bad or weak album, and one that is still very heavy, especially with Bo Summer upfront. Just can the juvenile synthesizers next time, boys. Tracks like And Of My Hate that are pure metal and skip the synthesised effects are winners. Given the deep growls, chances of Illdisposed making the jump to the mainstream - melodies or not - are between zilch to none. Consider that a bullet dodged regardless of the album’s title. - Ali “The Metallian”
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