Customer Reviews

Mechanics of Dysfunction

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Beneath the Massacre have got to be without question one of the best, and most brutal, vicious, unrelenting technical death metal bands out there today. I bought their 2007 full length debut "Mechanics of Dysfunction" over the summer, and I gotta say that whenever I listen to this album, my mind is just completely blown away every time. This neck-snapping technical death metal assault is as intelligent and self-aware as it is carnivorous and blood mad, and is just chock full of vicious death roars that will grab you right by the throat, fast, relentless technical riffs, back scorching leads, punishing breakdowns, and pummeling destructive blast beats. Lead grunter Elliot Desgagnes's roars are just brutal, vicious and throat ripping. Guitarist Christopher Bradley shreds, shreds, and shreds throughout with a neverending barrage of relentless gut-punching technical riffs, and wild scorching leads. Dennis Bradley's bass lines are sick and very heavy throughout. Justin Rousselle's drumming is just dare I say incredible. His blast beats are like a jackhammer pounding away at your senses, and his double bass kicks are like a machine gun firing off countless rounds of ammunition. Higlights include: "The Surface", "Society's Disposable Son", "The System's Failure", "The Stech of Misery", "Modern Age Slavery", "The Invisible Hand", "Better Off Dead", and "Sleepless". If you're a fan of technical death metal, you'll definately like Beneath the Massacre. Sure this whole album may be 30 minutes long, but it's worth every single penny, I'm sure glad I bought it, and I hope you enjoy it too. Well, enjoy!!!

Jeremy's song ratings:

1. The Surface (2:41) - 5/5

2. Society's Disposable Son (3:28) - 5/5

3. The System's Failure (3:29) - 5/5

4. The Stench of Misery (2:57) - 5/5

5. Untitled (0:58) - 4/5

6. Modern Age Slavery (3:22) - 5/5

7. The Invisible Hand (3:07) - 5/5

8. Better Off Dead (2:36) - 5/5

9. Long Forgotten (3:33) - 5/5

10. Sleepless (3:46) - 5/5

Prosthetic records brings us another great "extreme" metal release, "The Mechanics Of Dysfunction". Beneath The Massacre can go toe to toe with some of my other favorites in the genre (Prosthetic's own Byzantine, Decapitated, Meshuggah, etc.), and this is definately one of the better metal releases of 2007.

A nihilistic whirlwind of off-kilter time signature riffing, bizarre and sudden rhythmic shifts, dissonant soloing, and very tight musicianship all around. Very heavy, intense and satisfying for fans of the genre. It's true that perhaps this band doesn't bring anything new to the table in this style, but they don't really need to....very cool, ferocious death/prog/tech metal. Recommended.

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.

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.

I enjoy tech metal in its many forms, and Beneath the Massacre is one of my favorites.

Brutal. It has been said a million times, but there is no way around it. It doesn't matter if you are a tech-metal fan or a poor farmer from a third world country who hasn't even herd of music... when the sounds on this cd travel through an ear canal and are interpreted by the brain, an opposite reaction is automatically initiated to force the lips to expell to syllables "Brew" and "tull".

On a serious note, I am a huge fan, but if you want to get down to the nitty gritty there isn't a whole lot of change in composition from the first album. Lots of fast moving arpeggios which have little to do with keys or a consistent moving melody, then the chaotic notes and rhythm get tied together by a grind or gravity blast... and after that the breakdown.

Don't get me wrong though, the tech aspect is still there in the riffs and the break downs a ridiculously sick, sick, sick. However, based on song structure I think it was wise to keep the albums shorter so they are still enjoyable without getting too repetitive.

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.

this is by far the most brutal technical but still extremly catchy record i've heard in quite some time..this drummer is incredible..the guitars are amazing, production is great, vocalist is just plain brutal..if you are a fan of metal and you don't have this in your collection then you're just not a true metal fan. this makes half the bands out there that kids today consider metal sound like fall out boy..trust me buy this record you definatly won't be dissapointed!

Beneath The Massacre is tech-death done right. Lightning fast druming, good death vocals, and sick crazy fast riffs make this a good album to add to your collection. I also want to mention the lyrics which are on some songs at least, really really good. I have to say I'm pretty impressed.

It doesn't however really break any new ground so if you're looking to find something new and different musically this isn't where you'll find it. however if you want a good, consistant listen with technicallity all over the place then this is for you.

stand out tracks: 'The Suface', 'The Stench Of Misery' and 'Better Off Dead'

I have been waiting for this CD since I bought their first EP over a year ago, and when the day finally arrived, I went to the extreme music store and bought it immediately. The CD has all the technical elements that were on Evidence of Inequity as well as brutally heavy breakdowns that were on the songs "Regurgitated Lullaby for the Born Dead" and "Nevermore." The first thing I noticed when I heard the CD was the amazing production. You can hear the BRUTAL churning of the guitars and bass, the crushing drums, and the guttural vocals. The second thing I noticed was the abundance of breakdowns in the songs. I am not one who readily likes having so many breakdowns on a technical death metal CD, but these guys do it so well and they DO NOT sound like hardcore breakdowns, but brutally heavy death metal breakdowns (so if you see these guys in concert and I see that karate kicking bull crap that is so popular with the "hardcore" crowd, I will personally rip your balls off and shove them down your throat) so just don't do it. Death metal is not the music to do that to! Go listen to your Hatebreed and do that crap!(I call them "Hot Topic Hardcore Warriors" hehe!) But you must have this CD if you like brutal technical death metal of any kind. Also if you can find it, buy the first EP "Evidence of Inequity."

There is not enough good things I can say about BTM! The word you should think of when you hear this band is MASTERPIECE! I don't care what other people say about this band not breaking new ground, they break other bands in two with their dam tempo! This cd is more fast, more extreme, more relentless, and more insane than their freshman debut! The tracks are laced together so as each song ends you blast right into the next one, and they give you a interlude to catch your breath and restart your brain! I think alot of these people on here are afraid of how ridiculously good this band is and can't admit they are bad to the bone! This band is like wrapping all the great tech death bands into one and spitting it your face! BUY BTM NOW!