Review Summary: Unrelenting brutal shredding. Over and over again.
Death Metal is all about extremes, and Beneath the Massacre take that approach to their playing as literally as they can. Guitar, bass, and drumming in the band is extremely technical, to the point where you get a little numb to it – but that's part of the point. Instead of relatively sane riffs filling out vocal-dominated sections there are complex lines creating the framework for the vocals to work around. A new palette is created, even if the same picture is being painted.
That being said,
Marée Noire is successful at what it can accomplish. While the Montreal band could have churned out their third full-length, this EP is short and brutal. At a mere twelve minutes it's enough to hear they're better than before with slightly more unique songs and more focused sound. Less chugging, more tapping, and it works. The band separates themselves from an increasingly stale canon of riffs by creating lines that push rhythm and speed further than before.
I have no clue what Elliot Desgagnés is saying at any point so lyrics are really of no value on this record to me. Vocal placement is what matters, and for the most part the rhythm locks in with the instruments. If anything the vocals are like a percussive element, a lead drum banging out chaos. The guttural lows are well executed and are high enough in the mix to make sure that guitar isn't always the focus.
Hopefully this little album is a sign of a band with newly gained focus, but it's not certain. In four songs any band can maintain a sound, and Beneath the Massacre find one that works. Whether they can expand this in a 40-odd minute context is a different story.
