Release Date July 10th, 2026
Format CD/Vinyl/Digital
Genre Blackened Hardcore
Origin Canada
Spread The Disease formed in Southern Ontario in 1997, when musicians rooted in the local hardcore scene began writing darker and more extreme material. Blackened hardcore had not settled into a common genre tag, and the band was already combining hardcore speed with black metal coldness and death metal precision. Its debut, "We Bleed From Many Wounds," arrived through Eulogy in 1998 and earned an underground following through bleak atmosphere, frantic pacing and jagged guitar work. The album veered suddenly between tremolo riffing, breakdowns and blast beat acceleration, drawing listeners from hardcore and extreme metal circles.
A notorious Hellfest appearance in 1999 added to the band’s reputation, showing how volatile the material became onstage. A second full length followed later that year, widening the palette through electronic textures and experimental construction. Spread The Disease then disappeared after a brief initial run, leaving two albums that continued circulating among underground listeners. Hypaethral Records eventually remastered and reissued the debut on limited blood splatter vinyl, confirming that interest had survived beyond its
era. Now, 27 years after the previous album, Spread The Disease returns with vocalist Shane Post, guitarists Dave Buschemeyer and Trevor Dykstra, and bassist Ryan McInturff.
Dave Buschemeyer and Trevor Dykstra wrote the music for "The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering.", Shane Post handled the lyrics, and Ryan McInturff played bass. Buschemeyer also handled engineering and mixing at Bravo Studios, with Greg Dawson mastering the album at BWC Studios. The production retains a raw edge while separating the tremolo picked guitars, low bass and rapid drums, although the cymbals become papery when the layers stack up.
Hardcore eruptions collide with black metal chords and death metal turns, creating severe tempo changes and an uneasy flow. Guitar figures lock into violent rhythmic patterns, the bass remains present beneath the distortion, and the drums strike with enough intensity to stop the songs from collapsing into noise. Post’s scorched yell has a ragged human quality, and his lyrics confront religious dependence, political manipulation, denial of fact and social indifference in blunt language.
Across the later stretch, similar tempos and guitar shapes appear too often, narrowing the contrast established earlier, while several transitions arrive abruptly and a few riffs vanish before developing into distinctive hooks. "The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering." is a credible comeback with potent riffing, genuine anger and a coherent blackened hardcore attack, held below the upper tier by narrow dynamics and uneven transitions.
|7.0
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