Social Disorder: ‘Love 2 Be Hated’
SOCIAL DISORDER
LOVE 2 BE HATED
Released on June 18, 2021 (AFM Records)
Review:
Killer Bee bassist Anders LA Rönnblom apparently conquered his demons (addiction, alcoholism) which led into the musician writing a stunning array of songs and at the same time getting some real all-stars to play on his record. Some of the all-stars playing on Social Disorder‘s debut album Love 2 Be Hated such as guitarist Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns) and bassist Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, ex-Ozzy Osbourne, ex-Whitesnake, ex-Dio) should be well known to Sleaze Roxx readers. Other all-stars such as guitarist Jeff Duncan (Armored Saint, DC4) and drummer Shawn Duncan (DC4, Odin) will likely be familiar to many. The one real unknown and really the star of the album (aside from Rönnblom who wrote all the songs) is lead vocalist Thomas Nordin who can hold his own with likely just about any rock n’ roll singer out there.
Interestingly, the title for Rönnblom‘s project started off as Disorder but eventually turned into Social Disorder. I don’t know the reason for the change but I have got to say that I do like the new name a lot better. I have to confess that I haven’t followed Killer Bee that closely since their inception but based on Social Disorder‘s debut record Love 2 Be Hated, Rönnblom is one hell of a songwriter. I look at Love 2 Be Hated as kind of a four-part album. One part of the album reminds me of early era Masterplan. Sleaze Roxx readers may now know this but I consider Masterplan‘s debut self-titled album released back in 2003 to be one of the best records of that decade. The fact that a number of songs on Social Disorder‘s debut album even remind me of Masterplan‘s self-titled album speaks volumes of just how good I think the songs are. “Windy Road” starts off slowly and builds up into a surprisingly effective opener. “Dreaming” is definitely one of the best songs on the album with a good pace, some great singing from Nordin and excellent guitar harmonies. This is where the early Masterplan similarities really come to mind.
Another part of Love 2 Be Hated reminds me of more modern type Whitesnake era tracks. Songs such as “Scars”, “Raise A Glass” (which has quite bit of swagger to it) and “Out of Love” (Nordin sounds like a young David Coverdale on this one). Two tracks that fall somewhere in between Masterplan and Whitesnake, and really where Social Disorder have hit a home run with, are the tracks “Love 2 Be Hated” and “Down on My Knees.” Both will have you singing along in no time and I never thought that having a singer countdown from 10 to zero would be cool in a song but it works really well on “Down On My Knees.” That track also has a particularly upbeat feel to it. The third part of the album in my mind is really the piano based ballad “The One” which in many ways doesn’t really fit with the rest of the songs on the record but I can totally understand why it was included since it’s a beautiful emotion filled track. The last part in my mind is the instrumental piece “Wings of Servenity” which I find to be an odd way to end the album since it is a very guitar oriented song with some nice melodies, it has a certain European guitar playing flair to it, some almost neo-classical guitar playing and again doesn’t really fit with the rest of the songs. While I enjoy that instrumental track, I have to admit to skipping it half the time it comes up.
Overall, Social Disorder have, or should I say Rönnblom has, come up with a stellar debut album that is really worth checking out if you like Masterplan, Whitesnake and/or just well crafted and played songs with a killer vocalist. I have to admit that I was a little concerned that there wasn’t enough competition this year or any new bands vying for the Sleaze Roxx’s Top Ten Albums of 2021 but with albums such as BlackØwl‘s debut album Fly Away and now Social Disorder‘s debut, I can put such worries to rest.
Track List:
01. Windy Road
02. Dreaming
03. Scars
04. Love 2 Be Hated
05. Raise A Glass
06. Sail Away
07. Down On My Knees
08. Out of Love
09. The One
10. Wings of Servenity
Band Members:
Anders LA Rönnblom – bass, rhythm guitar, piano
Thomas Nordin – vocals, background vocals
Additional Musicians:
Tracii Guns – lead and rhythm guitar (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 8)
Shawn Duncan – drums (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Rudy Sarzo – bass (6)
Jeff Duncan – lead and rhythm guitar (2)
Snowy Shaw – drums (4)
Dave Stone – keyboard (1, 7)
Leif Ehlin – keyboard (2, 4, 5, 6, 9)
Johan Niskanen – lead and rhythm guitar (3)
Fredrik Tjerneld – lead guitar, piano (9, 10)
Thomas Widmark – keyboard (10)
Kenta Karlbom – drums (10)
Production:
Produced by Anders LA Rönnblom
Mixed by Mårten Eriksson
Mastered by Svante Forsbãck
Band Website:
Facebook
Reviewed by Olivier for Sleaze Roxx, October 2021
Social Disorder‘s “Dreaming” video:
Social Disorder‘s “Love 2 Be Hated” lyric video:
Social Disorder‘s “Windy Road” video:
Social Disorder‘s “The One” video: