Search - Beneath the Massacre :: Mechanics of Dysfunction

Mixed bag

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 04/18/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to know what to make of the full-length debut by Canada's Beneath The Massacre. It has as many good aspects as flaws. On one hand, anyone who has been exposed to technical death metal in the past will find nothing new or novel on "Mechanics of Dysfunction," and may even think the album's overall sound is somewhat cliche.



Bur with that out of the way, let it be known that listening to "Mechanics of Dysfunction" is like going on an extremely fast, wild, intense, and exhilarating roller coaster ride, mainly because Beneath The Massacre's musicianship is positively staggering. It overflows with chunky riffing, absolutely scorching leads, and fluid, Necrophagist-esque guitar sweeps that add a touch of tonal variety to the mix. Then, add Deicide-worthy vocals, and an impossibly tight rhythm section, and the result is a monstrously brutal and very gifted young band that is brimming with potential. They manage to retain the highly technical aspect of their music, even while blazing along at lightning speeds. Drummer Justin Rousselle is probably the most talented one in the band. In fact, he's probably the best skinsman the death metal community has heard since Misery Index debuted in 2003. Throughout this album's thirty-minute running time, Justin repeatedly flies from a dead-stop to murderous and insanely fast (yet still very technical) multi-limbed blast beats that rain down on your eardrums like bricks, and may leave some listeners disoriented and dizzy. True, like many tech death bands (see, for example, Origin and Dying Fetus), Beneath The Massacre use drum triggers (so Justin's feet are QUITE as fast as he wants you to think they are), and overall, the band's musicianship sounds too great to believe (it is clearly a product of studio perfection). Nonetheless, even though one can't help but wonder if the album was made entirely by robots, the listener still can't help but marvel at the virtuosic and almost godly instrumental abilities heard here.



Another problem "Mechanics of Dysfunction" has is that (with the exception of the untitled interlude track at the halfway point), it is completely one-dimensional and practically devoid of melody. As a result, the songs becomes monotonous fairly quickly, and very few of the individual songs stand out to or stay with the listener after the disc has stopped playing (all you remember is one long, black blur.) There are a couple of highlights - like the punching, blistering riffs and blast beat hailstorm of set opener, "The Surface," the thunderous, earth-shaking "The System's Failure," and the breakneck tempo change in "Modern Age Slavery" - but the listener is advised not to try and distinguish between tracks, because that is almost impossible. Instead of taking the album too seriously, just sit back, relax, and let the music consume you.



In the end, "Mechanics of Dysfunction" is, like almost any technical death metal album, all hit-or-miss. Death metal diehards will eat it up, but newcomers are likely to find it rather silly. Personally, I could take it or leave it. It's nothing I haven't heard numerous times before, but it is still a mostly satisfying album, and it can be fun to pop in my player from time to time."

93% Harmful to Hippies

morbid misanthrope | U.S.A. | 03/30/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Beneath the Massacre's "Mechanics of Dysfunction" is heavy, fast, and packs enough aggression to make a barefoot hippy miscarry. Because the band is from Canada and their music is fairly technical, some reviewers have compared them to Cryptopsy. It is my opinion, however, that this CD sounds like a group of speed freaks jackhammer fighting behind a liquor store, while the drummer from Origin kicks over trashcans.



While there is plenty of Cryptopsy-esque technical speed riffing, the majority of this CD is a big wall of blast-beat-driven, machinegun guitar. The vocalist does a great job, never sounding any less metal than a robot in a trash compactor. And while some songs on the CD blend together like a series of explosions at a meth lab, each song does have its own hook or riff to distinguish it from the others.



Aside from occasional monotony, albeit brutal monotony as heavy as anvils, this is a great CD.

"

Excellence In Its Purest Form

Bill Lumbergh | Initech | 02/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is what you have all been waiting for. "Mechanics of Dysfunction", Beneath The Massacre's 1st full-length, is a step up for this band from their already excellent EP. This CD is one of the most refreshing technical brutal death metal CD's I have heard in quite some time. Whether it be the technical riffage in tracks like "Society's Disposable Son", "The Surface", and especially "Modern Age Slavery", or the guttural vocals blended in with breakdowns that stand out, Beneath The Massacre has something to offer you. If you're into sick, twisted guttural death metal with a technical vibe to it, buy this. You won't waste a cent."