I’m not too big a fan of this deathcore style that’s becoming more and more prevalent. Take for example Despised Icon: their initial Consumed by Your Poison was a very brutal, technical slab of death metal whose metalcore tendencies didn’t overshadow the better parts of the brutal death metal. Then it all fell apart on their split with Bodies in the Gears of the Apparatus: what was once a sledgehammer of intensity turned into a poorly conceived Prosthetic label-esque act. Then there was The Healing Process which earned rave reviews from a lot of people in the metal reviewing community. I popped that baby in for a few listens and while it was indeed better than the split material it still was mediocre stuff that was nowhere near fit for the praise it got.

Needless to say when I heard similar things about Beneath the Massacre I was skeptical as all hell. However, Galy Record’s sample mp3 grabbed me unaware; I was actually enjoying what I heard. While it certainly had no trouble appealing to the mindless metalcore mass cock-gobbling the newest As I Lay Dying record, the math-like technical prowess and pounding death metal roots actually sounded pretty fucking good. As a result, I anticipated the release of this EP.

And by God, that anticipation has ended up being the shittiest disappointment I’ve had since the time I lost my virginity and learned that contrary to what I believed prior fireworks won’t shoot out of a girl’s ass and tits upon climax. It’s like Despised Icon Part Two: BREAKDOWN HARDER! Oh that mathematical, technical playing is still there, but for every pummeling onslaught of blast-beat driven, math-y technical death metal the band pulls a 180, shits their pants, and goes into some shitty breakdowns and chugging mosh parts. God fucking damn it. Well, what would have been an awesome EP has just turned mediocre. To their credit, when Artsy Metalcore Girl-pants McFaghat isn’t controlling the band through rectal implants, the music kicks fucking ass. The vocals are bellowing and don’t suffer from the ineptitude that bands like Despised Icon do and Beneath the Massacre is just plain better at delivering the blasting drums and technical riffing.

The band definitely shows promise, but they’re going to need to work for it. Until then, I’m going to see if I can find a way to rig breast implants with explosive items.

Written By: Necro-tron