Quebec’s rising star in the world of progressive technical death metal, Beyond Creation, are preparing to return with their third full length release. Coming out in mid October, ‘Algorythm’ is set to crush heads and probably strain a few necks in the band’s relentless assault of technical music brutality, and it will likely make their fan base very happy.
After a brief instrumental intro the album erupts into action with pummeling double bass and blistering guitar riffs with “Entre Suffrage Et Mirage.” It is, as one would expect, unrelenting in its pace and constant musical changes, with the alternating deep death and occasional black style growls of vocalist/guitarist Simon Girard, who handles both styles with confidence and ease.
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The following and slightly longer track, “Surface Echoes,” starts off slowly and more quietly with solo guitar before the rest of the band comes in. The more progressive side of the band is more apparent in this track than the first, and there are lengthier interludes where the band can show off their skills with clean, rather than distorted, playing. There are flashes of jazz throughout as well and I have to admit I prefer this more open, progressive, and adventurous side of the band more than the straight tech death side, which honestly I get a bit bored with after a while.
As a lyric video has recently been released for the title track it seems fitting it should be commented on. It is the longest track on the album, though still under the 8 minute mark. It is, however, a perfect representation of what the band is doing on this album. The progressive side is again very strong through it, but the heaviness and aggression are never lacking. The drum and bass interactions of Hugo Doyon-Karout and Philippe Boucher are exceptional, and the guitar work of Kevin Chartré is often stunning in both its precision and melodic beauty as well.
My favorite track is the second to last, the entirely instrumental “Binomial Structures,” which fully embraces the progressive and jazz elements of the band and makes for a nice sonic break from the endless double bass drumming. The band does a bit more experimenting on the track, rather than relying on their formula of the tech death side of things which, as a listener, I find refreshing and more interesting. The album closes with “The Afterlife” and is a strong closing piece, focusing more on their established sound, but with some of the best guitar solos on the album.
On a whole ‘Algorythm’ is a very solid and consistent work of progressive tech death, and includes everything one would expect from such an album. Therefore while being well made, and executed it doesn’t do anything particularly new either and honestly is at times rather predictable. And while there are moments when the band experiments and opens up their sound, it isn’t necessarily enough to make this something I’m likely to want to return to down the road. Beyond Creation have clearly found their sound and their approach, and they are very comfortable with it. Fans of the band will want to pick it up immediately, listeners who have spent decades digesting technical music and so expect more than just that might want to listen before buying.