Review Summary: Beyond Creation only improves
Getting right to it, Beyond Creation did little to impress me with their first effort. Songwriting was mediocre, they relied on pseudo-breakdown sections and fairly uninteresting melodies to move songs along. Granted, they established their brand of melodic technical death metal which certainly stood out. Their sophomore release,
Earthborn Evolution, improves upon mistakes of the past and expands on the band’s signature sound.
Songwriting and instrumentation on
Earthborn Evolution are by far the strongest aspects. The instruments are fast, precise and technical. The guitarists show off their ability on the fretboards, at times playing fast melodies but keeping it sensible by breaking up fast parts with chordy riffs. The title track shows a very tasteful balance. An Obscura-style fretless bass stands out, especially in “Theatrical Delirium,” with its own bassline melodies, staying high in the mix and keeping things interesting. However, it’s the rhythm section that holds the album back, choosing to stick to tech death standards without branching out. The vocalist does his job well enough, he usually sticks to a low semi-guttural growl and his highs are even pretty good.
Beyond Creation employ a classical approach to their song structures, establishing one or two recurring themes and expanding upon them. Their sound, though, borrows from some romantic ideas, incorporating virtuosic passages with passion and emotion; an exceedingly difficult thing to pull off well. Some of the passages even go so far as to be beautiful which is a rare affect in death metal. They also keep a solid footing in the jazz sound, a growing trend in tech death, using complex chords and interesting melodies of the style. Beyond Creation do little, however, to take risks in their music. Everything sounds pretty but there's little to no tension, no dissonance. Not to say the songs are directionless, they are just harmonically very safe.
Really, it might only be the production that brings this album down. Don't get me wrong, the mix is wonderful. Everything can be heard clearly but it's so clean and this is death metal, it's not supposed to be polished or refined. This is especially prevalent in the drums that come off flat. The defined “pop” in the snares that gives urgency to the beat is missing, lost in the rest of the kit.
Earthborn Evolution is a step up from Beyond Creation’s first album, improving on almost everything. They don’t rely on stale chuggy sections, the melodies are more interesting. This album is definitely worth consideration and Beyond Creation should be kept on the radar for even better material to come.
