Beneath the Massacre – Marée Noire
Release Date: 2010Sep14 (US)
Label: Prosthetic Records
Rating: 3/5
I found it amusing that Marée Noire ends as it begins, in a loop of distorted delayed guitar riffs. Looped listens are recommended for full digestion, as the Québécois quartet offers their fourth release, and second EP since their 2005 debut, Evidence of Inequity.
“The Casket You Slept In” is the strongest track here, especially regarding production values and overall balance. Technical death metal bands require instrumental coherence in order to show off their chops. Otherwise, they wouldn’t play a style that advertised that very aspect of their music. As much as I like the hooky riffs in “Black Tide” and Chris Bradley’s exemplary guitar solo in “Designed to Strangle”, both seem to end prematurely. The argument for overstaying one’s welcome may be suggested, but I feel there are missing endings.
The one we get on the EP is “Anomic”, which is hurt by the muddiest sound quality on the album. It concludes without striking memorability, and finishes with a fairly standard stop-start rhythm. This then fades so the guitar may return to the foreground and link back to the start. This is my fourth time through these 13 minutes, and I can honestly say not a word of Elliot Desgagnés’ vocals have been deciphered on my end. He may be saying something important, but we’ll never know. Hopefully, purchasers are so lucky as to receive lyrics. Digital promotion can be a spotty enterprise when it comes to completion, and I was not so lucky.
“Drill Baby Drill” is a short midpiece that actually has a cool riff I would like to see fleshed out. It also has audible voices in the mix, though they seem to be sampled from someone else, though even this moment of greatest clarity is unclear. It could be a general awareness statement toward petroleum drilling, or a comment against a particular politician like Michael Steele (who adopted it as a campaign slogan in 2008).
Long story short, in case it has not been made obvious enough,is that Beneath the Massacre can play their instruments well, but solid songwriting slips from their grasp. It feels interchangeable: fast and noodly, say hello to double-bass and throat growls, we should meet up with breakdowns anytime. Marée Noire is cool in moments, but this sticks like a year-old Wacky WallWalker.
FCC OK
Try: 1, 2, 4
01. The Casket You Slept In
02. Black Tide
03. Drill Baby Drill
04. Designed to Stramgle
05. Anomic
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