Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
Beyond Extinction are on something of a tear of late. Having played Bloodstock Festival, toured with the likes of Cancer Bats, Osiah and Viscera, and now gearing up to release their second EP, ‘Nothing More Wretched’, with their very own headline tour across the length and breadth of the UK, It seems impossible that their oldest member is just 22 years of age. But alas, there must be something in the Essex water, because the deathcore quartet have done all of this as an independent, self-managed band – and this is just the beginning.
‘Eyes Of God Look Down Upon Me’ was released as the lead single and for good reason; a sustained barrage of blast beats and head splitting riffs is delivered with searing intensity and reveals a band filled with bloodlust. The guitars of Jude Bennett and Zack Scott cleave a gnarled scar through the landscape and drummer Niall Ali delivers a restless masterclass in rapid fire brutality and slow, deliberate annihilation in perfect measure. The final payoff is utterly apocalyptic, with vocalist Jasper Harmer dishing out his most demonic roars and the breakdown is excruciating in its heaviness, calling to mind the likes of Black Tongue’s ‘Fauxhammer’.
The EP itself opens with ‘Warmth Of The Empty Light’, delivering a solid minute of wretched atmosphere designed to fray your nerves. High-pitched drones and unintelligible whispers litter a bed of static fuzz that unexpectedly changes volume, before it all drops out, leaving one unknown voice to croak the fearful words “…and beg to die.” Of course, Beyond Extinction now have their listeners right where they want them and go for the jugular with the instant devastation of ‘The Subjugator’. On just their second EP, the band still needs to fully grab the scene’s attention, and with their animalistic savagery on display here, they should do so in no time at all.
Already, the quartet have displayed terrifying heft and a prowess for shaking your blood. In an age when extreme metal bands seem to be continually trying to one-up each other, it can at times come off as gimmicky, but that’s not the case here. ‘Gravedigger’ stands out as a key highlight to this point; chain sawing guitars and a thunderous rhythm section feel like a sledgehammer to the skull, underpinning lyrics like “my power knows no bounds, no one knows the wrath of my fury”. A chilling ‘ting’ preceding an apocalyptic breakdown is another in a list of tried and tested tools of the trade that they use to stunning effect. Beyond Extinction’s mission statement is clear; they will deconstruct everything you know and love on a subatomic level and you will bear witness to it all.
Beyond Extinction have clearly been taking notes of the scene and their influences. In under 22 minutes, they have distilled everything we know and love about down-tuned deathcore and played it back with embellishments and accents that elevate the craft beyond what some of their most celebrated contemporaries are doing. With ‘Nothing More Wretched’, it would appear that the student is on the fast track to becoming the master.
JACK TERRY
‘Eyes Of God Look Down Upon Me’ was released as the lead single and for good reason; a sustained barrage of blast beats and head splitting riffs is delivered with searing intensity and reveals a band filled with bloodlust. The guitars of Jude Bennett and Zack Scott cleave a gnarled scar through the landscape and drummer Niall Ali delivers a restless masterclass in rapid fire brutality and slow, deliberate annihilation in perfect measure. The final payoff is utterly apocalyptic, with vocalist Jasper Harmer dishing out his most demonic roars and the breakdown is excruciating in its heaviness, calling to mind the likes of Black Tongue’s ‘Fauxhammer’.
The EP itself opens with ‘Warmth Of The Empty Light’, delivering a solid minute of wretched atmosphere designed to fray your nerves. High-pitched drones and unintelligible whispers litter a bed of static fuzz that unexpectedly changes volume, before it all drops out, leaving one unknown voice to croak the fearful words “…and beg to die.” Of course, Beyond Extinction now have their listeners right where they want them and go for the jugular with the instant devastation of ‘The Subjugator’. On just their second EP, the band still needs to fully grab the scene’s attention, and with their animalistic savagery on display here, they should do so in no time at all.
Already, the quartet have displayed terrifying heft and a prowess for shaking your blood. In an age when extreme metal bands seem to be continually trying to one-up each other, it can at times come off as gimmicky, but that’s not the case here. ‘Gravedigger’ stands out as a key highlight to this point; chain sawing guitars and a thunderous rhythm section feel like a sledgehammer to the skull, underpinning lyrics like “my power knows no bounds, no one knows the wrath of my fury”. A chilling ‘ting’ preceding an apocalyptic breakdown is another in a list of tried and tested tools of the trade that they use to stunning effect. Beyond Extinction’s mission statement is clear; they will deconstruct everything you know and love on a subatomic level and you will bear witness to it all.
Beyond Extinction have clearly been taking notes of the scene and their influences. In under 22 minutes, they have distilled everything we know and love about down-tuned deathcore and played it back with embellishments and accents that elevate the craft beyond what some of their most celebrated contemporaries are doing. With ‘Nothing More Wretched’, it would appear that the student is on the fast track to becoming the master.
JACK TERRY