Beyond The Structure – Scrutiny
Release Date: 28th April 2022
Label: Vicious Instinct Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal, Technical Death Metal.
FFO: The Faceless, Obscura, Abiotic.
Review By: Ross Bowie
Estonian death-metal quartet Beyond The Structure are back with their sophomore album Scrutiny. Following almost a complete overhaul of the bands line up, the new members look to stretch the band’s sound into a more technical dalliance with their death-metal roots.
Scrutiny opens like a barn fire with a thick textured guitar work before bursting into life with a tapping intro that immediately grabs your attention. The band wanted to focus more on the technical elements of their sound, and this is demonstrated right from the off. This is an element which is felt right across the entire album, as Beyond The Structure have come to show what their new line-up is capable of.
While the guitar and drum work are fun and keeps throwing new ideas out across the 8 tracks, there is only one man of the match award, and that undoubtedly goes to bassist Yaroslav Luzin. Not only has he created a bass tone so covered in its own filth that you can’t stop picking it up through-out the songs but the basslines themselves are so intriguing and add texture to these songs. Even in the more restrained moments like Profanation Of The Non-Existent, The band pull the track right back during a clean passage, but Luzin didn’t get the memo and solos all over it, filling any gaps with these luscious basslines.
Scrutiny knows when to change up its formula to keep you engaged throughout, as in the beginning the vocals take a back seat to let the musicianship shine through, but as the record goes on, they edge closer and closer to the front before commanding your attention and acting as a guide through the chaos of this record. Beyond The Structure pull from all different areas of metal, and that keeps this album exciting. They’re not scared to throw in some trad-metal influence when required, or attack you with riffs right from Michael Keane’s play book.
Although this is a second album this is the first time this line-up has got to work together and if the band can keep this group of musicians together, they will only push each other further into more creative and explosive territories.
(4 / 5)
