About Vision of Disorder
Vision of Disorder is an American hardcore/metalcore band from Long Island, New York, that initially released three albums before disbanding in 2002. The band garnered attention for blending melody and groove into a traditional hardcore framework, but its attempts to pursue an alternative metal direction on its fourth album were met with limited commercial success. The band reunited in 2008 and have since released two further albums, The Cursed Remain Cursed in 2012 and Razed to the Ground in 2015.
Guitarists Matt Baumbach and Mike Kennedy formed the band in 1992 with vocalist/lyricist Tim Williams, drummer Brendon Cohen, and bassist Mike Fleischmann. Vision of Disorder released a series of demos and contributed to several compilations before releasing the Still EP in 1995 on Striving for Togetherness Records. The band appeared in the N.Y.H.C. documentary around the same time. Vision of Disorder gained attention for incorporating different styles into its hardcore framework.
Vision of Disorder signed with Roadrunner Records' subsidiary, Supersoul, and released its self-titled full-length debut in 1996. The band was later praised for its impact upon the popularization of hardcore music: the debut album was "metallic hardcore that no one had heard, released for a mass audience on a big label. It had its merits; powerful, screamed vocals often layered over depressing clean vocals combined with fresh 'un-hardcore' guitar sections and unfamiliar drum patterns. For anyone into hardcore at the time, this was the album to have." Fleischmann departed Vision of Disorder after the album's recording and was briefly replaced by a bassist called Jake. Williams said that Jake "was a good bass player, but was horrible for VOD", and he was fired following a tour with Madball. As a result, the band cancelled a planned tour with Godflesh. The band made amends with Fleischmann and began touring again in December 1996. The band later took part in the 1997 Ozzfest Tour.
Vision of Disorder's second album, Imprint, was released in 1998 on Roadrunner Records and featured guest vocals by Pantera's Phil Anselmo on the song "By the River". The band was displeased with the raw production quality, which it attributed to the brief window for recording the album. Vision of Disorder also took issue with the purported lack of tour support by its record label. The band and label severed their working relationship acrimoniously, as Williams recalls:
Three years ago we were on Roadrunner and Imprint had just come out maybe two, three months ago and they weren't pushing us or doing anything...Roadrunner said "We're yanking your tour support, come home and make another record". But we wanted to go out and support Imprint and just felt insulted that they said that. So we said "Something is going on here, we're getting the fuck off of this label"...We want to go back to being a hardcore band and playing weekends and they tried to offer us money and a better deal but we were like "Nope, see you".
After the label strife, Vision of Disorder kept a relatively low profile. However, they eventually returned in 1999 with For the Bleeders, a set of nine re-recorded demo songs released on Go-Kart Records.
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