Beneath United States

"Like melody? Well, here's Beneath for ya.

Falling somewhere between melodic death/thrash and melodic metalcore, Beneath's sponymous EP belongs to that branch of modern metal that I quite enjoy because of the combination of thrashy aggression, metalcore breakdowns and the melodic classic metal-inspired elements of melodeath.

The four tracks on this EP are very strong, and all of them are characterized by both a strong sense of melody and an appealing drive. I especially enjoy extensive use of imbedded melody in the guitar riffs, as wells as the use of melodic guitar harmonies - which is something the Beneath excel at. These melodic elements go well together with the more aggressive elements from thrash metal and metalcore, resulting in some fairly well balanced songs. Strength of the EP is the use of more rock and old school metal oriented riffage, which Beneath have managed to blend seamlessly in with the metalcore and thrash elements.

The production is crisp and very professional and manages to bring all the interesting musical details out into the open, thus showcasing the admirable musicianship of the band.

Fans of the likes of Killswitch Engage and Nothing Divine should check out this fine melodic metalcore release.

(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"