The deathcore genre is without a doubt a touchy subject for a lot of people, but the fact of the matter is that the notion of heavily hardcore influenced death metal that left so many a bit unsettled initially is beginning to show itself as a stark reality to be reckoned with in the wake of the gained notoriety and fan base of bands along the lines of Job For a Cowboy. And while I’m not afraid to admit to being amongst the group of metal heads that had to go on a bit of an explorative journey to find out if I was personally okay with nodding my head to breakdowns, I’ll be first to admit that Evidence of Inequity was one hell of an opening statement for Canadian Beneath the Massacre.
To say that Beneath the Massacre exhibits a bit of a mechanical proficiency is an egregious understatement. Like most of the peers within their country, Beneath the Massacre have committed themselves to a decidedly contemporary version of technically vicious death metal, but rather than worshipping at the altar of the Death/Cynic approach with country mates Martyr, single in on an ideology birthed by Neuraxis.
“The Surface” opens the album with an explosion of Origin-esque barrage of dissonant machinegun riffing before moving to interplay between the simple minded rhythmic bludgeoning of “Society’s Disposable Son” and the Necrophagist inspired leadwork of “The Systems Failures”. Nearly the whole of Mechanics of Dysfunction boasts a relatively similar sort of psychotic ferocity I found so endearing about Ulcerate. The Decapitated style stop and go rhythmic panache of “Modern Age Slavery” along with cuts like “The Stench of Misery” maintain a high level intensity while continually retaining a certain sort of lumbering swagger heavily reminiscent of Despised Icon. And while the level of diversity within the tracks may not translate to wholesale variety from song to song, be it simple minded breakdowns or mind numbing virtuosity, it’s quite clear Beneath the Massacre aren’t novices to the edges of extremity.
Despite all this, I have a very hard time retaining more than a moderate level of interest in this album. It sure as hell isn’t because of length, this one clocks in at exactly a half hour. It sure as hell isn’t because of musical ability, I’m quite clearly infatuated with that aspect of the music and generally speaking I eat this sort of shit up. But with Mechanics of Dysfunction I feel like there’s a large portion of what I like to call substance missing. Herein lies the problem, perhaps I can’t see the forest for the trees but despite the technical accomplishment and nearly flawless delivery, essentially I feel like Beneath the Massacre’s sounds is little more than a shallow amalgm of their influences.
While the purists out there still may not be able to come to terms with the sort of genre skirting death metal Beneath the Massacre bask themselves in, those of you who continually wet themselves over the likes of The Faceless and Arsis will find themselves in a perpetual state of euphoria while listening to Mechanics of Dysfunction.Jeremy Garner The deathcore genre is without a doubt a touchy subject for a lot of people, but the fact of the matter is that the notion of heavily hardcore influenced death metal that left so many a bit unsettled initially is beginning to show itself as a stark reality to be reckoned with in the wake of the gained notoriety and fan base of bands along the lines of Job For a Cowboy. And while I’m not afraid to admit to being amongst the group of metal heads that had to go on a bit of an explorative journey to find out if I was personally okay with nodding my head to breakdowns, I’ll be first to admit that Evidence of Inequity was one hell of an opening statement for Canadian Beneath the Massacre. To say that Beneath the Massacre exhibits a bit of a mechanical proficiency is an egregious understatement. Like most of the peers within their country, Beneath the Massacre have committed themselves to a decidedly contemporary version of technically vicious death metal, but rather than worshipping at the altar of the Death/Cynic approach with country mates Martyr, single in on an ideology birthed by Neuraxis. “The Surface” opens the album with an explosion of Origin-esque barrage of dissonant machinegun riffing before moving to interplay between the simple minded rhythmic bludgeoning of “Society’s Disposable Son” and the Necrophagist inspired leadwork of “The Systems Failures”. Nearly the whole of Mechanics of Dysfunction boasts a relatively similar sort of psychotic ferocity I found so endearing about Ulcerate. The Decapitated style stop and go rhythmic panache of “Modern Age Slavery” along with cuts like “The Stench of Misery” maintain a high level intensity while continually retaining a certain sort of lumbering swagger heavily reminiscent of Despised Icon. And while the level of diversity within the tracks may not translate to wholesale variety from song to song, be it simple minded breakdowns or mind numbing virtuosity, it’s quite clear Beneath the Massacre aren’t novices to the edges of extremity. Despite all this, I have a very hard time retaining more than a moderate level of interest in this album. It sure as hell isn’t because of length, this one clocks in at exactly a half hour. It sure as hell isn’t because of musical ability, I’m quite clearly infatuated with that aspect of the music and generally speaking I eat this sort of shit up. But with Mechanics of Dysfunction I feel like there’s a large portion of what I like to call substance missing. Herein lies the problem, perhaps I can’t see the forest for the trees but despite the technical accomplishment and nearly flawless delivery, essentially I feel like Beneath the Massacre’s sounds is little more than a shallow amalgm of their influences. While the purists out there still may not be able to come to terms with the sort of genre skirting death metal Beneath the Massacre bask themselves in, those of you who continually wet themselves over the likes of The Faceless and Arsis will find themselves in a perpetual state of euphoria while listening to Mechanics of Dysfunction.
Jim Brandon’s take:
The deathcore genre is without a doubt a touchy subject for a lot of people, but the fact of the matter is that the notion of heavily hardcore influenced death metal that left so many a bit unsettled initially is beginning to show itself as a stark reality to be reckoned with in the wake of the gained notoriety and fan base of bands along the lines of Job For a Cowboy. And while I’m not afraid to admit to being amongst the group of metal heads that had to go on a bit of an explorative journey to find out if I was personally okay with nodding my head to breakdowns, I’ll be first to admit that Evidence of Inequity was one hell of an opening statement for Canadian Beneath the Massacre.
To say that Beneath the Massacre exhibits a bit of a mechanical proficiency is an egregious understatement. Like most of the peers within their country, Beneath the Massacre have committed themselves to a decidedly contemporary version of technically vicious death metal, but rather than worshipping at the altar of the Death/Cynic approach with country mates Martyr, single in on an ideology birthed by Neuraxis.
“The Surface” opens the album with an explosion of Origin-esque barrage of dissonant machinegun riffing before moving to interplay between the simple minded rhythmic bludgeoning of “Society’s Disposable Son” and the Necrophagist inspired leadwork of “The Systems Failures”. Nearly the whole of Mechanics of Dysfunction boasts a relatively similar sort of psychotic ferocity I found so endearing about Ulcerate. The Decapitated style stop and go rhythmic panache of “Modern Age Slavery” along with cuts like “The Stench of Misery” maintain a high level intensity while continually retaining a certain sort of lumbering swagger heavily reminiscent of Despised Icon. And while the level of diversity within the tracks may not translate to wholesale variety from song to song, be it simple minded breakdowns or mind numbing virtuosity, it’s quite clear Beneath the Massacre aren’t novices to the edges of extremity.
Despite all this, I have a very hard time retaining more than a moderate level of interest in this album. It sure as hell isn’t because of length, this one clocks in at exactly a half hour. It sure as hell isn’t because of musical ability, I’m quite clearly infatuated with that aspect of the music and generally speaking I eat this sort of shit up. But with Mechanics of Dysfunction I feel like there’s a large portion of what I like to call substance missing. Herein lies the problem, perhaps I can’t see the forest for the trees but despite the technical accomplishment and nearly flawless delivery, essentially I feel like Beneath the Massacre’s sounds is little more than a shallow amalgm of their influences.
While the purists out there still may not be able to come to terms with the sort of genre skirting death metal Beneath the Massacre bask themselves in, those of you who continually wet themselves over the likes of The Faceless and Arsis will find themselves in a perpetual state of euphoria while listening to Mechanics of Dysfunction.
Considering the reviews above, I’m not going to get too in-depth here. As many of you already know, I was taken with Evidence of Inequity and I think Mechanics of Dysfunction is a worthy successor. Similar to EoI, MoD remains fast, technical death metal that is often brutal, punishing, and unrelenting. To say this band’s music is lifeless, however, isn’t quite stretching the truth – much, if not all, of their latest is devoid of feeling. For some reason though, I find myself enjoying this 30-minute record immensely.
Boasting instrumental intricacy like many of their fellow Canadians, Beneath the Massacre charge the listener at full force. The songs’ structures remind me of Ion Dissonance and Despised Icon, though the leads are usually in an Arsis/Necrophagist/The Faceless vein, while I also hear Martyr and Neuraxis floating around, too. Really, there’s no clear highlight since most tunes sound very alike and could sub for one another at a moment’s notice.
In any case, sometimes there are inexplicable reasons why we care (or don’t care) for a piece of art. For instance, speaking of Martyr, Feeding the Abscess fell flat with me. No matter how much I listened to it, I just couldn’t get into it enough to appreciate it. Like Ulcerate’s Of Fracture and Failure, Mechanics of Dysfunction isn’t emotionally engaging, yet I’ve continually returned to both since I first heard them. It’s not memorable – as Jim pointed out – but it works for me.Jason Jordan Considering the reviews above, I’m not going to get too in-depth here. As many of you already know, I was taken with Evidence of Inequity and I think Mechanics of Dysfunction is a worthy successor. Similar to EoI, MoD remains fast, technical death metal that is often brutal, punishing, and unrelenting. To say this band’s music is lifeless, however, isn’t quite stretching the truth – much, if not all, of their latest is devoid of feeling. For some reason though, I find myself enjoying this 30-minute record immensely. Boasting instrumental intricacy like many of their fellow Canadians, Beneath the Massacre charge the listener at full force. The songs’ structures remind me of Ion Dissonance and Despised Icon, though the leads are usually in an Arsis/Necrophagist/The Faceless vein, while I also hear Martyr and Neuraxis floating around, too. Really, there’s no clear highlight since most tunes sound very alike and could sub for one another at a moment’s notice. In any case, sometimes there are inexplicable reasons why we care (or don’t care) for a piece of art. For instance, speaking of Martyr, Feeding the Abscess fell flat with me. No matter how much I listened to it, I just couldn’t get into it enough to appreciate it. Like Ulcerate’s Of Fracture and Failure, Mechanics of Dysfunction isn’t emotionally engaging, yet I’ve continually returned to both since I first heard them. It’s not memorable – as Jim pointed out – but it works for me.
