July 2, 2009 | | 3

The Body Beneath, Rise of the Insidious

The Body Beneath: Rise of the Insidious

Leaning more towards technical death metal than the deathcore this band will potentially get labeled with, Minnesota based The Body Beneath thunder through this five track EP in just over 17 minutes. In that short time span you’ll be hit with heavy handed drum work, burly riffs, Swedish death metal influenced leads and a varied deep guttural vs mid-range screamed vocals. Rise of the Insidious isn’t really anything new under the sun, but it does showcase the band’s competent musicianship and a penchant for destruction. That said, it’s a pretty tight EP that has plenty of fans of the genre to get excited about.

…And the Sea Will Give Us Its Dead
The opening track starts off with a bit of noise as the guitars quickly fade in with blasting drums and deep guttural vocals. There’s a pretty decent groove amongst the slightly disjointed guitar work and rapid fire drums. There are some nice tricks here and there with the drums and guitars that keep the song interesting — avoiding a formulaic feel. The lead after the two minute mark is pretty sweet.

Path of the Depraved
There’s not much a transition between tracks before “Path of the Depraved” gets underway with slick guitar work and pile driving drums. I’m digging the galloping pace as the vocals come in — it’s cause for plenty of head banging. There are a few nice tempo change-ups during this one that will have you snapping your neck in no time with spastic head banging. The group vocals at 1:40 are a nice touch.

A Flood of Red
“A Flood of Red” gets right down to business with blasting drums and galloping guitar to get the blood flowing as deep guttural growls come in. The layered vocals are a solid touch for this song, as is the slow down just before the one minute mark to help you catch your breathe. The lead at 1:55 is soulful and impressive. I’m digging this one. It’s got plenty of aggression and bludgeoning power.

Bloodshot White
The start to this next one is a bit more on the chaotic side with creative drum work and disjointed guitars backing the raw, guttural vocals. Once the group settles into their groove things come together and flows nicely along with layered vocals and thick rhythms.

The Silent Swarm
The final track on this EP starts off with some slick guitar work and thundering drums. It’s definitely got some of the more creative moments on the disc — the chug/stop/chug around the :40 second point is nice. The vocals are a bit more guttural on this one as the rest of the band pummel their instruments. This one reminds me a bit of older All Shall Perish. It’s a strong finish to a pretty damned good introduction to the band.

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Favorite Tracks:
All of them

Additional Notes:
N/A