Review by: Marc Campbell - Sinister Online Webzine - 2006

Dyscord, a band hailing from Western Australia, have now punched out their debut EP release entitled 'Arming Within', and I believe that these guys have something to offer. No so much something special musically to offer, but more along the lines of the live sound, as this music is what I call easy crowd pleasing music...

I don't know really what genre to categorize Dyscord under, perhaps 'stomp-stomp' core or even 'chug...stomp...chug-chug-scream-stomp' core, or maybe just plain old hardcore...with this many breaks, I don't know if I should mention the word 'metal' anywhere...? Whatever they call it, it's certainly entertaining, because in 6 tracks over 23 minutes we feel the high and lows of some aggressive individuals who seem know how to express themselves. Heavy chugging riffs, and pounding drums trudge and bounce on in an almost overly bold way, accentuated by bellowing screams and&pauses for impact, gives 'Arming Within' a very solid sound. One aspect that needs to be worked on is the clean singing vocals; they seem to lack training and conviction to add to the music. Despite the rest of Dyscord being confident, they still need more originality to excel, fore within in the core soaked scene everyone wants to be confident, yet very few stand out and these guys could either rise or fall with their next release.

Apart from the singing and a tad lack of exploration, these guys have definitely potential as their overall sound is quality&they just need to grow. If you're a fan of hardcore/metalcore, you like your chugs big, and you like to slam *pause* slam dance, then I think you'll enjoy 'Arming Within'...maybe even a little too much, but if you like more flow to your music then perhaps look elsewhere. The music is definitely solid for what it is and certainly a good debut EP but I believe it would be better live. 6.5/10

Review source: Dyscord - Arming Within Review

Review by: Simon Milburn - The Metal Forge Webzine - 2006

Perth (Australia) five piece Dyscord have a decent list of bands that they have supported in the three years since their formation. Internationally, it includes Mudvayne, The Haunted, As I Lay Dying and Ill Nino, and their national list isn't too shabby either with Five Star Prison Cell, Daysend, The Mark Of Cain, Alchemist and Parkway Drive sharing the stage with vocalist James Herbert, guitarists Johannes Chuah and Matthew Herbert, bassist Raffe Houston and drummer John Blythman. The time has come for the release of the debut EP, Arming Within, and up and coming local label Prime Cuts Music, home to Vespers Descent and The Furor, have picked them up to do so.

Divinity signals in no uncertain terms that Dyscord are thrusting themselves headfirst into the saturated metalcore genre. There's plenty of screaming vocals thanks to James Herbert but at times, the clean vocals seem a little weak and lacking confidence, although they do find their groove along with the music in the melodic finale. A Toast To The Burning Earth offers nothing that hasn't been tried and tested within the metalcore genre, and in fact, seems quite generic with the exception of the death metal sounding chromatic chord progressions that pop up from time to time before the As I Lay Dying sounding Suffer In Silence delivers another example of the out of place sounding clean vocals that is proving to be somewhat of an Achilles Heel at this point. The slow moving The Day Before I Die manages to make the most of Herbert's clean vocals via the haunting echo effect that carries them before the beautiful instrumental title track, Arming Within, really shows the first signs of what Dyscord are capable of. Further adding weight to that, is the heavy yet melodic mixed bag that rounds out the EP, titled Senjo. It's the first track that perfectly balances the band's metalcore heaviness with the melodic strengths that the band has failed to explore fully to this point. It's also the first track that allows the band to show some real originality to what they do as well.

They certainly left their run late with the six tracks on this EP. Dyscord were looking like quickly and easily falling into the category of "just another metalcore act" as two-thirds of this EP fail to deliver anything remotely new or interesting in a tired and overcrowded genre. But whatever it was that sparked that last track, they need to do more of as that is where the band's strengths truly lie. If they can harness whatever that magic is, then these guys may have something more to offer to the Australian metal scene. Time will tell.

Review source: Dyscord - Arming Within Review