Beneath the Massacre

Beneath the Massacre’s debut EP, Evidence of Inequity, was released a couple of years back to widespread critical acclaim, which generally hailed the release as one of the only offerings in the deathcore wave to sound convincingly death metal and not amateurish and bandwagon-hopping. The question was: could they sustain that unbridled intensity and aggression for a full-length? The answer is a resounding, enthusiastic yes. Mechanics of Dysfunction builds upon the foundation set by Evidence, condensing the songs into shorter, more focused blasts of ferociously technical shredding and infectious breakdowns. Everything seems more polished and road-tested, and there is a noticeable lack of filler material or songs that overstay their welcome. Vocalist Elliot Desgagnes’s pitch has dropped a fair bit lower, now bearing more of a resemblance to the guttural, breakneck-paced spewage of Necrophagist or more recent Cannibal Corpse. The industry standard, heavily triggered drum sound may be off-putting to some but it is exceptionally well used here, and each instrument shines through with startling clarity. Beneath the Massacre have far and away exceeded expectations with their sophomore outing and are poised to carry the torch for Canadian extreme metal in the years to come.