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By JEFF MAKI
Mechanics of Dysfunction is the first full length
release from Canada's Beneath the Massacre, part of the diverse
Prosthetic Records roster. Amid a stable already including
eclectic acts and other unique metal bands, comes the brutal
and technical death metal of Beneath the Massacre. The band's
introduction came in 2005 with the five-song-EP Evidence
of Inequity, a release that built quite the buzz in Canada
and the metal community.
The album begins strong enough with “The Surface,”
a ceaseless barrage of death metal growls, tight, compact
double bass and technical guitar work. This is not along the
lines of their countrymen and fellow death metal act Kataklysm.
Instead, think the ferocity of Deicide with five times the
guitar work. Fairly typical breakdowns come and go, as well,
not differing much from current metalcore acts. The start-stop
rhythms and discordant sound also beg comparison to fellow
Canadians Cryptopsy.
There is no evolution as the album progresses. That is, once
you've heard the opening track and “Society's Disposable
Son,” you basically have heard Mechanics of Dysfucntion.
On the upside, the unmatched technicality is astonishing at
times and few bands have been able to produce this kind of
guitar sound. This is perfectly showcased on “The Invisible
Hand,” one of the standouts of the release. But for
the bulk of the material, this technical approach seems to
repeat itself again and again, to the point where the listener
feels like they are hearing the same thing song after song.
There is little, if any, alteration in the vocal department.
A deep growl of the cookie-monster variety is what we get.
The album also clocks in at less than 30 minutes, furthering
the argument that ideas were thin for this release.
On sheer musicianship, Beneath the Massacre would score a
nine out of 10 perhaps. But as far as variation, several songs
seem to be carbon copies of each other and become tedious
rather quickly. If you are a death metal guitarist or metal
musician, this album may be your messiah, but for the average
metal fan it’s mediocre.
®2007 Live-Metal.net
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