Beneath The Sky – In Loving Memory
When one thinks of Cincinnati amongst the sea of musical talent that has risen from anonymity to the rafters of success, there isn’t a whole lot there. Fortunately for Beneath The Sky I think this sextet will make a nice mark on the metalcore scene, as well as deathcore for some. With a sound that can be compared to bands like Carcass, Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage, they should have no trouble appealing to the masses.
In Loving Memory opens up with a short 49 second track with the fitting title “The Opening,” which promptly leads into the album’s real opener, “Sorry I’m Lost”. When I first started listening to this album I knew I was in for something special. The track features thick, demonic basslines, a commanding double bass drum and vocal work that registers on opposing ends of the spectrum. Joey Nelson’s vocals sway between the war-torn demon rising from the mud and ashes of a cursed world, to the more vulnerable angel that soars above it all. At times he even sounds slightly similar to Davey Havok (AFI) when it comes to the clean vocal sections. The guitar work is solid yet simple while the breakdowns and runs tend to flirt with deathcore.
Throughout In Loving Memory, the listener is pummeled into oblivion with a solid dose of dual pedal work on the bass drum accompanied by hardcore style breakdowns; coupled with a solid bottom end. If you want brutal, turn to tracks like “Terror Starts At Home”, “Blood & Separation” and “Static”. “Terror Starts At Home” is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It’s guaranteed to push your speakers into overdrive, while beckoning you to bang your head in approval of the 6-headed monster before you. If you want to hear some more nuances of deathcore from the band’s portfolio, checkout “Static”. Although I’m not even close to savvy in the field of deathcore, I think there are some characteristics throughout this album that could warrant a really small tag under the genre field for deathcore. Each track is intertwined with groove that will make the head nod just as infectious as the yawn—without inducing yawns in the process.
The title track “In Loving Memory” caught me off guard completely. This song is the ultimate struggle between the beast and the angel, with more of Joey’s endearing, emotionally-charged vocal work. Don’t fret, metalhead. Although this song isn’t the most original on the album and it really puts the horns aside in exchange for some soft feathery wings, it still holds dear to the metalcore aspect with some more of the demonic gutturals and breakdowns that you hear throughout the rest of the album. I thought this track sounded like a cross between Underoath’s more toned down work and Killswitch Engage or something similar.
From here on out In Loving Memory features more of the metalcore sound that was established in the songs pre-title-track. “To Die For” leans further in the direction of the accessible metalcore scene with its multiple breakdowns, soaring clean vocals and growling for nice balance. The song structure is more straight-forward than other songs on the album and doesn’t showcase nearly as many change-ups and different runs. Although tracks like this don’t lend themselves well to the lot of us that are into the tech/heavy aspect, they reach out to a wider demographic.
If I were to criticize this album in any area I would have to say that where Beneath The Sky has some unique sounds and qualities, they also have a fair amount of songs that tend to fall into the safer, “I’ve heard this before” region. I felt like the tracks “Sorry, I’m Lost”, “Terror Starts At Home” and “In Loving Memory” are at the helm and really drive their sound home. Despite residing in the comfort zone for some of its play life, Beneath The Sky’s In Loving Memory delivers some solid metalcore that I think will appeal to a massive audience. From some of what I’ve read online and on their Facebook page, these guys have already gathered a large fanbase, and rightfully so. More power to them! I look forward to their future releases and recommend this one to fans of metalcore or perhaps even deathcore.
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12 Comments
May 11th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Very nice review. I agree with you Daryn. I would probably go more towards the 4 mark as far as a rating in my opinion. I think its solid enough and is well above average in the "core" scene whether its deathcore or metalcore. They teeter with both genres throughout this album and I like the mixture. I think there comfort zone is more on the metalcore sound and thats when they become ho hum and start sounding like everything else in the metalcore scene. Its when they throw the mix of deathcore in that they start to standout from the pack a little. They are not redefining either genre but its a solid effort. I recommend it to anyone who likes there metalcore mixed with a little deathcore.
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May 11th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Thanks, jakester! The more I listen to this album, the more it seems to lean more towards a 4 but there are some parts of it that hold me at 3.5 or so. I agree with you on the deathcore/metalcore mixture being their strongest points. "Terror Starts At Home" is starting to become my favorite song on the album and I think it showcases more of their deathcore side. I love the breakdowns in that song and the way it drops a sledge hammer every time on it chugs along.
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May 11th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
I agree with you 100% Daryn. My favorite tracks are Static and Terror Starts At Home. Those two songs just pulverize my ears. Just badass head banging grooves!! For someone who claims to not be very savvy with deathcore you did a hell of a job with this review. You hit the nail on the head. It took me a few listens to fully grasp your comparisons vocally with Davey Havok of AFI as far as the clean vocals. I was never a big AFI fan but after a few listens I kind of hear the similarities vocally. I was concerned when I saw your review and before I read it I saw AFI in the tags because I own BTS's previous album and I liked it a lot and I thought what the hell. Please tell me they didnt do a 180 and completely change their sound because I saw a lot of promise with this band and I still do. Thankfully they didnt.
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May 11th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Haha. Thanks, man. To be honest, my real introduction to deathcore was on this website. There used to be a time when a lot of it was overkill for me but I'm sure you're like me when it comes to musical taste: it tends to shift a lot and you go through transitions. Did you see my review for Ungrace's "Hostile Revival" album (http://thenewreview.net/reviews/ungrace-hostile-revival)? It's deathcore and I love that album. It's the only one I've given a 5.0 to.
Yeah, the Davey Havok resemblance is really slight. There were short moments for me where he sounds slightly like him. I used to be a big AFI fan way back in the day when they were all about hardcore and punk. I went to a lot of their shows when they were smalltime.
I'll have to checkout BTS's previous album and see what it's like compared to this one.
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May 11th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Holy crap man!! I followed the link you gave me and I have read almost all the reviews on this site and I dont know for the life of me how that review got by me. How can I find that album? I went to their myspace page and I didnt see anything about where I could get my hands on it. I did like how they have your link to your review on their page. Thats awesome. That band is a culmination of some of my favorite bands. I can hear Divine Heresy. I can hear Mnemic. I can hear SYL. I can hear a little Fear Factory too. All bands that I have all of their work and I love. How did you come acrossed those guys considering they are from the Ukraine. I have never seen anyone hail from there. Ive never known the Ukraine to be a melting pot of great metal but if this is what they have to offer than sign me up!! Dude, do you know where I can find this album? I would buy it in a heartbeat. Thanks for the hook-up Daryn! All I can say is WOW and where have these guys been hiding?! Music that good needs to be heard NOW!!!
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May 11th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
I wish I could find a physical copy of it myself. Lee gave me that one to review and I loved it. I think one of the band members emailed me once so I might be able to ask him. Otherwise I can ask Lee and see if he knows. I had a hard time getting a lot of information about them when I wrote the review. I had never heard anything from Ukraine and that album blew me away. I'll let you know what I find out.
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May 11th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
jakester, it looks like you can obtain the album from here — http://dfmo.net/. Unfortunately it's in digital format and I can't seem to find a way to get a physical copy. The website isn't in English so it's hard to follow but it looks like you're able to download the album for free or if you click "Rise Rating" it shows some payment methods. Maybe it's a donation type deal? I'm not exactly sure. A band like this deserves to profit from their work.
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May 11th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Cool man. Thanks. I appreciate what you guys do!! Its what makes this site so great. You guys are really passionate and honest about the music that you guys review and I have never seen a more personable site. You guys go above and beyond and its very much appreciated. On a side note Daryn. I checked out your bloqhead.com and your Facebook and I see your a big Red Sox fan. Lol!! Im a huge Yankees fan. I have been since I was about 10 years old so I have been a fan for 25+ years. Im not your typical fair weather Yankees fan. We can agree to disagree though, right?
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May 11th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Now I see why you are a Red Sox fan. I see your from MA. Does that mean you are also a Celtics, Patriots, and Bruins fan as well? If so your Celtics handed it to my Cavs tonight!! Im from Ohio so I love my Cavs but they look terrible right now. I dont know what is wrong with LeBron. I know this is a music site and I have gotten a little off topic so if ive offended anyone im sorry.
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May 14th, 2010 at 7:21 am
Yeah, the Red Sox has run in my blood since I was little. I was born in Cape Cod and saw some of the MLB players when they were in farm leagues and stuff. I've probably been a Red Sox fan for a little less than you've been a Yankees fan (I'm 29). So it's a heritage thing with me.
I root for the Celtics, Patriots and the Bruins as well, but I don't actively follow those sports as much as I do baseball. I know the Celtics are kicking some ass though. I saw the Bruins play a couple times at the old Garden when I lived up north but when the strike went into effect in the NHL, I kind of lost interest. I really want to get back into it since hockey has always run in our family, but it's so late into the season now. Maybe next year. I have a hard enough time trying to watch every Red Sox game.
I have a few Yankees fan friends that I go back and forth with in good fun. I don't really like the "hate the Yankees" mentality but I'll say it jokingly if they're kicking my team's ass. The Red Sox wouldn't be what they are today without a rivalry like that, and vice versa. It makes for edge-of-your-seat moments, right?
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May 15th, 2010 at 7:50 am
100% BRUTAL. I like it,nice break downs. I wanted to sign this band back in 2007 but they signed to Victory.
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October 27th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
I own this album. I definitely would’ve given it a 4 or 4.5. I met theses guys when they were playing in a bar with Killwhitneydead and had a nice conversation with Joey. Great dude. So I have more of a personal connection with this album which is why I’d give it a better review.
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