BEAST MODULUS
Being
Unsigned/Independent
3.5/5
New York’s Beast Modulus have returned with their sophomore album, which is an intriguingly experimental take on familair groove and core heavy metal staples. The album actually utilizes quite a bit of electronics as well, which is something I had not expected and came to embrace quickly. There are also some slightly progressive and even alternative rock elements at play here, which work to show that these guys have no kind of filter and may even one day experiment beyond their groove/core stylings. Fans of acts like Lamb of God, early Mastodon and The Dillinger Escape Plan will find quite a bit to chew on, despite the performance being less than thirty minutes in length. Still, you can’t really go wrong with putting down a dollar on a record like this which in my opinion is worth a bit more.
As far as the riff-structure is concerned, it is very much as mathematic and technical as you’d expect to be, with time signatures and unique compositions blaring throughout. Perhaps opener “Twrk” (is that supposed to be some sort of play on words for the word twerk?) comes off a bit straight-forward in it’s crunchy grooves, but with “Accustomed To Dysfunction” axeman Owen Burley seems to be inching towards something a little bit eerie, yet strangely calculated in nature. It is a style of riffing that isn’t even common in many of the aforementioned groove acts that I’ve named earlier in this observation, which makes it a bit of an outlier from the competition and that’s always good. But what’s more, is that the next cut “Barnburner” starts out like Judas Priest and rolls directly into melodic prog rock, which reminds me of the kind of sound that Mastodon are currently pursuing on their latest (which is quite potent, by the way).
“Skeleton Key” dials up the electronics a little more to create yet another kind of atmosphere than the previous excursion, almost verging on alternative prog rock with some meaty bits thrown in. The structure here is quite similar to that of Nu-Metal, but with more of a sludge vibe that I won’t quite turn away. I guess if you didn’t like the crunchier Suicide Silence version of the Nu-Metal genre, maybe you will find something a little more exploratory here. “Running Backwards” features a real backbone in the calculated precision of skinsman/sampler Jody Smith, who at times really throws the college Trigonometry and Algrebra textbooks into these numbers, showing that he has an advanced understanding of some level of music theory. Perhaps these gentlemen aren’t signed to a major label, but with such a notable performance as this, they should be. I often feel like this is a sort of revaluation and a possible demonstration of greater things for the band, which I’m sure should get the attention of more than a few outlets. The last track that we have here is “Everything Is Shocking” which offers one final performance from the growl/scream combo that are bassist/vocalist Jesse Adelson and frontman Kurt Appelgate, even incorporating the album’s only guitar solo which shows that Burley’s solos are just as oblong and stylistic as his riff-melodies.
Despite the experimental textures in place here, the band still sticks with the core and groove structures that they are most familair with, not running directly off the rails into avantgarde territory. That to me is a welcome decision, because Beast Modulus could’ve lost complete identity had they done too much within this short but solid performance piece. It’s as complex as it needs to be without overshooting their audience completely as it shows several sides of the band in just a short amount of time. If you’re into experimental takes on common groove metal with spatterings of technical core spliced throughout, then I think you’re going to love this one. I’m interested in seeing where this band will go next. (The Grim Lord)