Beneath the Massacre
Evidence Of Inequity [EP]
Have you ever wondered what it would sound like to take the shred and technical elements from a band such as Necrophagist, throw in the breakdowns of a band like Unearth and add in some unbelievably tight blast beats? If so, then, wonder no more, because that's exactly what this album brings to the table.
The Band: Beneath the Massacre, yet another technically inclined death metal band out of Quebec.
The Members:
- Christopher Bradley - Guitar
- Dennis Bradley - Bass
- Elliot Desgagnes - Vocals
- Justin Rousselle - Drums
The Sound: Blast-ridden death metal which focuses on guttural vocals, time-changes, crushing "floor punchable" breakdowns, and a healthy dose of shred, all of which contain nearly unmatched technical precision.
This band is certainly at the top of their game when it comes to technicality. Throughout the 17 minutes this EP brings to the table, you'll be cu
nt punched with countless time changes, blast beats, and fretboard tomfoolery (on both guitar and bass). The leads are surprisingly memorable, and amongst the layers upon layers of shredding and blasting you'll actually find the songs themselves are fairly memorable, which is in my opinion is somewhat of a rarity in the technical death subgenre.
The drummer perhaps stands out more than the guitarist. At times, I often found myself wondering if it was a machine, until realizing, "Nah, he just triggers the hell out of his drums", and, I guess at these speeds he'd have to; this guy blasts really, really fast. He's not limited to blasting, though; the drumming is as varied as can be. I'd put this guy up there with the Derek Roddys, the Thomas Corns and the Flo Mouniers, though I’m not a drummer so you may beg to differ.
The bass, when you can hear it, also definitely shines. The bassist is not limited to simply following the guitarists or drummer; you'll often notice him doing his own unique thing. The basswork is very impressive, though not as audible as I'd have hoped. The vocals are sufficient, though nothing mind-blowing. They're not unlike the vocals of fellow tech-death superstars Necrophagist; guttural and to the point. They get the job done, but aren't exactly impressive. They're intensely brutal, I guess.
Seriously, when it comes to technicality, these French-Canadians are almost unmatched. Now, if only they'd move on to working on their song writing ability.
There's one big issue I have with this album: the breakdowns. While breakdowns can be a nice touch, I feel they are an idea put to waste on the album. Firstly, some of the breakdowns are unneeded and unnecessarily long; the breakdown in the final track,
Nevermore, goes from 0:57 to 1:37 and then again from 3:03 to the end of the song, at 4:06. It's not even that the breakdown takes up 50% of the song; it's that it doesn't go anywhere. Often times you'll hear a long breakdown that changes midway through, but no, both times this breakdown comes in it's the exact same anti-climatic breakdown, unbelievably slow and boring. Crushing? Perhaps. But, it's still slow and boring. There are, of course, some tastefully done breakdowns, such as the one @ 3:33 in
Regurgitated Lullaby For The Born Dead. It's not overly long, and I feel it's well placed. The tapping breakdown of sorts midway through the second track (
Totalitarian Hypnosis @ 1:15) is also a tasteful, albeit a non-traditional breakdown, as it strays from the typical downtuned "chug chug", though, that comes in toward the end of the song.
Breakdowns are a dime-a-dozen, and ones that are tasteful and well done are a rarity. It's not that there's no place for them in this style of brutal technical death metal, it's that these guys have to find the appropriate places. I realize they want their fans to "dance" or "throwdown" or whatever the kids these days are doing, but they have to stop sacrificing the songs to do so. It's not that I'm hoping on an anti-breakdown trend or anything, it's that I just think the band could work a little harder at using their breakdowns in a more tasteful, moderate way. Personally, I think it'd make them that much more effective.
On the forefront, this is a damn impressive technical death effort. The guitar parts are jaw-droppingly precise and will definitely leave any fan of the genre impressed. The drums are unbelievably fast, precise and original; there's some impressive cymbal work as well as flawless time changes. The music is fast, crushing, and brutal, and therefore despite the overly long breakdowns and occasionally lax songwriting, this EP is something I'd have to recommend. As I said, it's just an EP, and shows definite potential. Beneath the Massacre have been making waves with this, so expect a full length from them sometime in the fall.
Final Verdict
2.5/5
Why?: First and foremost, it's just an EP, and while it succeeds at leaving the listener want more, there are just a few issues the band has to work out, primarily the breakdowns. At 17 minutes, it's a nice taste of things to come, but it's not without its flaws.
Links
Official Website: http://www.beneaththemassacre.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/btm
PureVolume: http://www.purevolume.com/beneaththemassacre
