Dehumanized- “Beyond The Mind” album review 10/10 \m/

Dehumanized

Beyond The Mind

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Vocals – Michael Centrone

Guitar – Rich Nagasawa

Bass – Anthony Cossu

Drums – George Torres

 

 

 

  1. Worthless Prosperity

Kicking off the album is this first track that begins with some shuddersome tones and arbitrary cymbal rolls to transition the song from this introduction. To the molten death metal that I know Dehumanized bring to the table. And surely at eh thirty second mark, a short and sweet guitar riff sets up the song nicely. Mikes vocals are spot on, this is death metal the way I grew up listening to it.  This album is going to have the same affect that Internal Bleeding’s “Driven To Conquer” had.  This is a slower pace song than some but this has all the elements you look for.  From the opening riff, to the groove of the song. And not the “whatever” the fucking new slang groove means for some emo death core band out of So Cal. No I’m talking the groove, meaning you lock in to the tempo, you are head banging with everyone else in the crowd and the band. You are savoring this song and are singing along. Its catchy it’s awesome, and it’s a groove you can adhere to.  If this is how the album is going to start out, I know that Dehumanized have big things in store for the listener.  And looking at the rest of the track names these guys definitely have something up their sleeves.

 

2. P. C.C.R

This song starts out with a flowing groove made up of the chugging riff and double bass. The drums rolling right along, and guitars giving us a solid riff to get acclimated to. This goes on for about thirty seconds and then shifts tempo at the :33 mark with some blast beats.  Continue on another thirty seconds and then they kick things into high gear.  For me this is when the song gets rowdy, they lay into with this infectious groove.  These guys hit you again and again with rock solid   death metal retribution in the form of killer guitar riffs, classic death metal vocals coming from Mike, and then of course my favorite member is always the drummer. George is responsible for the sick drum beats and he doesn’t reinvent the wheel.  He doesn’t get selfish with fills he plays death metal straight up and sounds great doing it.

 

3. Beyond The Mind

This song starts out with a short but simple introduction lasting about twenty five seconds before the vocals join in on the fun and continue before the :47 mark where the song transitions into an accelerated pace.   With the beginning of the verse having a faster tempo and blast beats, where the second half of the verses are a slowed down death metal groove.  This song actually satisfies the fast paced cravings as well as the slower groove filled death metal moments.   This is a song that you will be head banging right along to from the first beat.  This is a solid track and really the introduction was a solid beginning.  Right at the : 20 second mark I was really getting into the song.

 

 

4. Black Market 2099

This song starts out with a sound clip from Total Recall and then following that a classic death metal guitar riff is played. And from the moment that riff begins you know that this song is going to kick ass.  Right at the :33 second mark when vocals join in, you know there is no turning back now.  This is the death metal I have been looking for. This song right here. This is a perfect representation of a band killing it.  No over the top fancy frills and thrills. They do it old school.  My favorite part of this song comes at the 1:35 mark. Listen to that riff, and the set up for the vocals at the 1:44 mark. If you don’t find yourself following his every word and head banging right along to the groove.  I unquestionably love this stellar song, and have been listening to this album for about a month now.  This is the one song that seals the deal for me. I love this album and this song is an instant classic.

 

5. Abyss Ambassador

Now I know what some of you are thinking, if Black market kicked so much ass, than how does Dehumanized follow up a track like that? Well they do it with Abyss Ambassador. This song will have the feeble minded shaking like a leaf by the end of it.  That opening riff is another example of a perfect set up. I know in the first ten seconds of listening to this song, that it is not going to disappoint.  Just for a moment listen to the groove they have going between the blast beats and the guitars. Listen to the vocals and try not to get pulled in. This song is awesome, has some killer guitar riffs, but man you can really get into the vocals, and the lyrics.  This is what death metal sounds like when it’s done right.

 

6. One North

The song opens with a sample track from the Halloween remake with Danny Trejo’s character talking to Mike Myers.  Then right around the :23 second mark the band  gets things started with  a slowly approaching, yet  menacing rhythm and then vocals coming in. “ One North….. One North”   the song cultivates a slower feel  until they get to the two minute mark where they kick things into double time, picking that pace up and  hitting us with killer riff after killer riff, and infectious  lines.  Go to the 2:24 mark where they really take things to the next level.  For just shy of a minute they pull off this diabolical arrangement of heavy death metal punishment.  The kind you want to raise a beer to, yell “fuck yeah” and start head banging again.  This track is such a solid addition to the album.

 

7. The First Immortal

This song comes right out of the gate with Mike’s punishing vocals and a killer death roll from the guitars and drums.   This song is great from start to finish, I must have played this track a hundred times and it satisfies my ravenous death metal cravings every time.  This whole album does, but each song has its own little distinguishable moment in making this album an instant classic among death metal fans.  Not to mention this song is less than three minutes long, the guys have packed so much into this song, there is zero fluff factor.  They are blunt, straight to the point, and sacrifice nothing at all in order to make this song hit you where they want it to.

 

8. Last Words

This song starts out with drums and bass just doing their thing for about eight seconds until the guitar fades in and then vocals join in.  With a tempo of around 130 BPM it’s not a rapid fast blistering speed song. It’s a solid and steady death metal track, just listen to the bass in the beginning.  This song starts out with so much stability that it has a more brutal attack.  I mean just adding the bell around the : 35 second mark add emphasis on the beat.  I love the simplicity of this track, it holds down that well recognized death metal sound.  When listening to this song right when you get to the 3:05 mark they hit you with these blast beats and a cool riff that amps you up.  There is no enigma, or mystery behind this song, they made a killer, solid, simple and effective song that please the ears.

 

9. Drawn By Blood

They don’t waste any time getting the ball rolling here.  From the moment the song begins you have been pummeled with a chugging guitar riff, and battered by  the drums for a few bars. The drums begin to progress tactfully, before the tempo increases slightly, but man the vocals on this song are great. Guest vocal spot on this track really adds dimensionality to the vocals.  Right around the :37 mark you can hear the guest vocals come in, and then around :50 they start trading bars with Mike.   I love way they slow things down to take you out and pummel you relentlessly at the 3:27 mark.  Then they end up coming out of that but admittedly only for a short period of time and then go back in to the low and slow audio beat down of the listener.  With less than thirty seconds left of the song they escalate that tempo right back up with some menacing riffs and blast beats to finish it off.

 

 

10.Telepathics

Love the drum roll out to start the song, and then the melodic guitar riff comes in with another drum roll fill.  When the first verse begins, I gotta say I really dig this song, it’s not my favorite but it has so much to offer, just like all the rest of the songs on this album. The song is so damn catchy, just listen until you get to the 1:41 mark and you see them pick the tempo up and the intensity.  But just like most of the other songs, when you get to a point in a song that you are impressed by. They hit you with another element within the same song that makes you appreciate the song more and more, and then you just find that you keep spinning this album more and more.

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This album right here, is the album that everyone needs to check out. If you say you like death metal, than this is what you need to listen to, because these guys nail it. Probably the most underrated death metal band, but this album should change that. Beyond the Mind is an example of death metal done right.  I have been listening to this album for a month and I cannot get enough of it. They hit it out of the park with Beyond The Mind. Tracks I personally recommend is Black Market 2099, Abyss Ambassador, and The First Immortal.  If you want to listen to a few songs to gauge the album. These three tracks are solid, and the ones I have played the most. This album is a must have for anyone who calls themselves a fan of death metal. I love it, and this album has only made me enjoy Dehumanized more, and made me become more of a fan of their music. Dehumanized made this an instant classic in my opinion. This album is absolutely no fluff, straight up death metal, no Bullshit.

They earn a 10/10 \m/ and I stand by that. This is one of the most underrated death metal bands out there.  This album is hit after hit a solid album that continues to grow on you the more you listen to it.  They put a lot into this album, and I am confident enough to say that “Beyond the Mind” should be on your playlist.  The sound quality is great, the song writing is on point, and I was never bored listening to this, if anything I got amped up and have no plans on taking this out of rotation for the rest of 2016   For fans of Internal Bleeding,  Suffocation, Pyrexia, Skinless, and Dying Fetus.

 

 

 

 

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Pre- order Beyond The Mind at the Comatose music store  HERE

-Badger \m/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

 

Olivier Pinard the masterful bassist for the one and only Cryptopsy

As some of you have seen I was able to interview Chris and Flo from Cryptopsy, now for my third interview I was able to ask Oli a few questions. and to talk about their current indiegogo campaign ( http://igg.me/at/Cryptopsy/x/10796470  )

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When I saw these guys in Syracuse, I got a chance to really talk to all of them, and also get some impressions from all of them. To watch these guys on stage is just a great show. For all the people in the crowd just thrashing and head banging, a pit only broke out a few times, but for the most part there was a group of people myself included just really taking in the whole experience. These guys give it their all, and part of that is because they are an independent band. They do not have a label backing them up and supporting them. They have the fans as their support. When they get the support they need,  they want to give back, and that’s what helps with their energy  to put on a great show. Oli was in the zone, what I mean is that he was like a different person on stage. After their show when I talked to him, he was just the most down to earth guy. I asked him what one of the first things he would do when he got back home after the tour ended, showered unpacked etc. and he said go to his favorite pub with good friends. After they got back home I ended up reaching out to all of the guys from Cryptopsy, and this is how it went with Oli.

Badger- Did you have fun while you were on the Back to the U.S. tour? Also you had a birthday so what was that like while being on the road touring and promoting the new E.P. and crowd funding campaign.?

Olivier-Lot of fun , old and new friends! The crowd were amazing, I think on that tour we got a bunch of new fans ….And for the birthday , it was an awesome night ,We played Amytiville that night and the guys from Suffocation, Internal Bleeding and Dehumanized show up, good times!!

Badger-I have been both a Cryptopsy fan, and a Neuraxis fan for some time. The technical metal coming from Canada has been just brutal (which is why I like it so much) For you how did it feel going from one killer metal band like Neuraxis, to then playing the bass for the legendary Cryptopsy? And how did you get involved with Cryptopsy?

Olivier- Neuraxis recorded the album ”ASYLON” during the summer of 2010 at Garage Studio with Chris Donaldson . I love to think that he liked working with me , otherwise I don’t think that he would have called me for Cryptopsy haha!

But yeah , the trasition was huge , It was a big challenge for me to play with those guys. I spent a lot of days at Jon Levasseur place’s to learn the old stuff and write the bass line for the Self-Titled as well ….So I didn’t have time to waste!!

Badger- Have you always been a fan of metal? Who are your influences for metal, as well as playing the bass?

Olivier- HUGE Metal fan! Since forever.

I started with alot of classic like :

Iron Maiden (Steve Harris …duh!) , RUSH , Motorhead , Metallica , Megadeth,  Testament , Dissection , Martyr , Gorguts ,Augury ,Neurosis , Pantera , Sepultura , Opeth , Emperor , Suffocation, Voivod and 10000 more…

Now , I’m still interested in the underground scene , bands like Ulcerate , Dead Congregation , Gigan are constantly in my CD player!

Badger- After the E.P. is released will we be seeing any play through videos from you in the near future?

Olivier-Maybe , maybe not haha. I’m actually not a big fan of play through video . I understand why people like that …but for me, magic happen on stage in front of people , not behind a camera in my basement.

Badger- If you could describe The Book Of Suffering E.P. in five words. What would those five words be? Again I want to thank you for your time to answer my questions, I wish you guys the best, I hope you guys make it to your goal, and wish you safe travels for your next trip of touring to promote the new music.

Olivier- Extreme , Dark , Groovy , Fresh , Brutal

Thanks , see ya on the road!

So there you go, words from the bassist extraordinaire himself, Olivier Pinard, The guy is just killer on the bass, and a really cool cat. I personally cannot wait until the E.P. comes out, I have been a Cryptopsy fan for a long time. When other bands were playing typical “death metal ” styles, Cryptopsy was playing a much more technical style of metal.

Make sure to click on this link http://igg.me/at/Cryptopsy/x/10796470

Check out some videos of Oli

Bass and Guitars for this one, hey Oli and Chris tearing it up!!!

So go on and click here http://igg.me/at/Cryptopsy/x/10796470  

The pricing is pretty fair, you have to figure the cost of things these days, everything is going up. And these guys are trying to keep the prices competitive as well. The cost of Gasoline, and all other goods out there, everything is expensive these days. However the way I look at it.  I am a sucker for a physical CD. for $20.00 I will get my E.P. shipped to me with a digital download, and while some may argue its too expensive. I believe in spending a little more to get a better quality. These guys offer a better quality, and raise the bar every time. Even if you don’t have 20 dollars for the CD. Do some research, a lot of bands are doing digital E.P.’s for $5.00   So Cryptopsy is on point with that, I have never been disappointed by these guys, and i will always be a fan. So whether all you have is $5.00, or not even that, they have a perk for $1.00 contributions. That way you can at least be a part of something cool, and help out one of the pioneering bands of technical death metal.

-Badger \m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

#TBT Metal Edition @archenemymetal @vehemenceaz @coalesceox @AtthegatesGBG @Lambofgod @neurosisoakland @InternalBLDNG @officialopeth @MounierFlo

So I figured why the hell not? If you listen to metal than surely you have those albums that you will go back and listen to and really bring you back. I know I do, and hearing about Vehemence putting out a new album, Neurosis doing a tour, and Agoraphobic Nosebleed playing at Maryland Deathfest. It really put me in the mood to listen to some good stuff I remember buying when it came out, and going to shows.

SO to start things off will be a video by Vehemence. This is called by your bedside off of the “ Helping the World to See” album;

Soundcloud for some more Vehemence songs; https://soundcloud.com/vehemenceofficial

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Next will be a video by Coalesce, from the album “ 0:12 revolution in just listening” I couldn’t find any actual video footage of this song, but it’s a good listen.

Here’s a soundcloud link for a few other Coalesce songs; https://soundcloud.com/relapserecords/sets/coalesce

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Now bringing it back to 1995 we have At the gates, Blinded by Fear off of the “ Slaughter of the Soul album” This album was one of those monumental albums. I remember picking up an Earache records Compilation that had this song on it.

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Now this is only going back to 2003 but “ As the Palaces Burn” came out while I was in college. And this album was one of the albums that I would listen to , while getting pumped up before my band would play a show. After my sound check I would play a song form this album or “ New American Gospel” theres something about how Chris Adler plays the drums I dig his style. At the time he didn’t do any blast beats or anything, it was just drums with great fills and solid timing.   So here is the song “ Ruin”

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And here is a live performance of O.D.H.G.A.B.F.E

Now it brings me to Neurosis, this song “ Under the Surface” is what got me into these guys. There was something dark yet powerful about this song.

Here it is off of the “ Times of Grace” album

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Next is a band from the earlier days of metalcore, these guys were one of those bands you listen to this song “ Bitter” and you can see how far the Metalcore genre has come. Whether some of the newer bands ever listened to them or not, I would say these guys had a big influence one way or another.

Here it is Bitter off the “ Fifty ninth session” album

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Now bringing metal back to the year 1999 where Internal Bleeding put out “ Driven to Conquer” So its not an official video, but it still allows you to take in the song “ Falling Down” with pretty good audio, and getting to see the album cover.

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Lets go back to 1998 with Arch Enemy’s “ Stigmata” Album, the opening track “ Beast Of Man” when I first heard this song I just loved the guitars in this song. I was in the 8th hgrade and rocking out to this song off a Century Media Records compilation CD I bought at a Newbury comics. This compilation was the first of many that really got me into new bands. I think I paid $3.00 for 20 songs and this song was on there. I wish this video was an official video, however there is an “ Official” video from a few years ago. Obviously its with Angela Gossow on vocals, and from a different album. To me this may be an “ Official” video, but its not original.

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At any rate here is the original song off of “ Stigmata”

And then off of “ Root of all evil” with Angela;

Another Band i got into early on was Opeth, i first heard them back in middle school and bought their album titled “Morningrise”  i really got into their epic metal sound, just heavy haunting menacing vocals at times and soft sincere vocals at others. this is an art form. i have never heard another band that has the bipolar, yet progressive metal song structure as Opeth.

Here is the track ” Advent” of the Morningrise album;

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Now last but not least I bring you Cryptopsy with the album “ Whisper Supremecy” the track titled “ Emaciate” which happens to be the first song I ever heard, and was absolutely blown away by Flo’s drumming skills. Still listening to this song I am in awe of the talent Flo has. Now this is with a different vocalist at the time. I will not take away from current vocalist Matt’s talent. I personally really dig his vocals the best, I think all the other guys were great and added to the albums respectively. Since Matt McGachy has taken over vocal duties I think he really adds the missing element for vocals. He has great sound, great range, and can pull off the older songs great.

SO with that said here is “ Emaciate”

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And don’t forget to check out Cryptopsy’s indiegogo page as they are trying to put out a new E.P. they are crowdfunding currently. Here is that link ;

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-fund-cryptopsy-s-the-book-of-suffering/x/10796470#/story

So that wraps up this weeks  #TBT Throwback Thursday metal edition. Feel free to comment, offer some details about a metal song or album that brings you back to a time period every time you listen to it.

-Badger \m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com