Beyond All Recognition Drops their Debut Album – Review

Hello everyone, Sam here. I’m back again with another review for Der Metal Krieger. This time around, we have something a little interesting. This is definitely one of the more creative albums to be released this year. Hailing from Sweden, we have the new album from BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION entitled Drop = Dead on Napalm Records. Having that strong melodeath influence from Sweden’s heavy hitters such as SOILWORK, SCAR SYMMETRY, MNEMIC, etc, while having that dubstep-infused synth work similar to bands such as ENGEL, EXOTYPE, CELLDWELLER, etc., this band brings out a different type of heavy music to please the ears.

Band: Beyond All Recognition
Album: Drop = Dead
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Napalm Records
Release Date:  September 28, 2012

While most of these songs sound familiarly the same, they each bring a different sense of originality. You won’t be listening to this album without hearing the strong dubstep-infused soundboards that you can easily find yourself accustomed to the first few listens. Sometimes, they may be chaotic but that’s what will gain new fans. If you are familiar with SKRILLEX’s Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, then you can get a feel for what you are about to experience giving this album a full listen. Just that feeling of frenzied bliss when you hear this sound will leave you wanting more.

Starting out the album is “Characters.” Beginning with techno drum rolls and leading into a bouncy intro riff, it’ll definitely get you off your feet. Going immediately into the melodeath-esque riffs for the first verse (you’ll be hearing it a lot on this album), you can easily recognize that they are diverse yet extremely talented metalcore musicians. Aside from their musicianship, you’ll hear a lot of the dubstep-infused soundboards (which again you’ll hear throughout the entire album) that makes this album so noteworthy.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPD4nvvLDls]

Next track is “What We’ll Die to Defend.” As soon as you hear this song start, you’ll immediately recognize a Scar Symmetry feel. With the exception of the constant breakdowns and techno breaks you’ll hear throughout the song, you’ll definitely begin to realize that this band does not screw around. But note that this is one of the heavier tracks on the album.

“True Story” is the next track, and this is the track that will gain the attention of scene kids everywhere. Everything about the track will have teenage girls screaming. Not to say that this will make you ignore the band as a whole, but I’m just pointing out one key thing about the song. This song, alongside the last couple songs, has the BAR sound and this is the first song you’ll hear the gang chants come along, which I think fits the song quite well.

The track after that is the title track. Nothing new to explain about this one, but the only different thing about this song is the occasional sweeping of the guitars that you normally would not hear throughout this album. Guitarists DAVID ERIKSEN and PAUL GIDLöF really have it going between the two of them.

“Arriving with the Sun” follows the title track, and the easy thing to remember this song by is the heavy dubstep-infused soundboards in the beginning and middle of the song. Nothing else needs to be said about the song other than it’s heavy and in your face. This will attract the more deathcore/hardcore side of the music industry.

My favorite off this album, and the one with guest vocals by the legendary Bjorn “Speed” Strid from SOILWORK, “Brace Yourselves” is the key song on this album that showcases premier musicianship. This song really helps shine drummer EDWIN JANSSON a whole new light, showcasing his sound throughout the song and showing how heavy he can get. With Speed’s cleans and the band’s heaviness to back it up, this is the best song off the album without a doubt.

Following that is “Smoke and Mirrors“, which starts off with a guitar tremolo that fades into a down-tempo breakdown and leads into an aggressive first verse. What really makes this song amazing is the well-done use of dubstep, which clearly dominates the song once it kicks in.

“B*tch Please” follows, and aside from the stupid name, this track actually showcases the musicianship from this band. Though the guitar work isn’t all impressive (any band can make those riffs sound heavy and enjoyable), this is probably my least favorite and probably the most generic song on the album. Nothing about this song really impresses me other than the musicianship.

Ending the music part of the album is “Legends” and it’s the heaviest song on the album. Melodeath riffs and noteworthy headbanging sections dominates this song. Also the guitarists come in about midway with the occasional sweeps. So that’s about all that needs to be said about the song.

The one thing that I never really did mention is the bassist PONTUS BERGSTRöM WARREN, since there’s nothing showcasing his side of the musicianship and the vocalist DAVID SöHR, while being very vocal and aggressive throughout the album, doesn’t have that creative sense vocal-wise and can easily turn off some people because of how generic it sounds.

Ending the album is an 8-minute dubstep/techno interlude entitled “End of Recognition,” and while it’s different from what you would normally hear, it’s definitely chill, relaxing, and easily something you could use for soundtracks, game montages, etc. Midway in the song, the SKRILLEX-influenced dubstep comes in and that takes over the song the rest of the way. Dubstep is something metalheads probably don’t want in the metal world, but at least this band does it right.

I can say that I became a fan as soon as I heard the first song, which makes this review from me very positive. I hope for more from this band in the future, because they have something going that will attract more people in the years to come. This album is for fans of MNEMIC, EMMURE, ENGEL, THE BROWNING, and SCAR SYMMETRY. As diverse and weird as that sounds, that’s about the best way I can describe this album as a whole.

Give this album a few listens, and then you can respect what they do. It may not be for the pure metalheads, but it is for the committed ones, the ones that can respect all different kinds of metal without being so elitist. This album will be released September 28 in Europe and October 10 in USA and Canada. You can preorder the album here and check them out on Facebook as well.

-Samuel

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