Neuraxis - The Thin Line Between
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This might be the year that death metal came back. Actually, it's been coming back for years, just with incessant mediocrity. But in 2008, geezers like Decrepit Birth, Hate Eternal, and Origin have stepped up with very "mature" records. They're not innovating, but they're probing corners, pushing themselves, and most importantly, writing actual songs. "Music that lasts" will always trump "extreme."
The Thin Line Between (Prosthetic, 2008) is another recent improbable death metal triumph. On 2005's Trilateral Progression, Montreal's Neuraxis found their sound - compact, melodic death metal indebted to later Death. Their lineup then shifted with a new singer and guitarist, but their sound is mostly intact. It's slightly darker now, with occasional black metal touches. It's also become more focused. The songs are sleek and fat-free, a far cry from the grind/death grab bags of Neuraxis' early records. Tommy McKinnon's blastbeats and fills are martially precise; hooky riffs fire cleanly as fluid leads spiral above. Dennis Sibeijn (whose work has graced releases by Three, Job for a Cowboy, and All Shall Perish, among others) encases the record with moody, futuristic images. Front to back, the package exudes power and attention to detail.
Buy:
The End
Prosthetic
Amazon (MP3)
Labels: canada, clee, death metal
4 Comments:
I came to Neuraxis late - saw them live in '05 and was blown away, as much by Ian Campbell's onstage antics as the music - but yeah, love this record.
I'm so happy Neuraxis is getting so much good press. Fully deserved. Totally agree with Cosmo that they're not innovating but when you can turn in death metal that grabs ye with the hooks as much as it impresses ye with the tricky bits, it almost doesn't matter. Neuraxis seem almost "post-brutality" to me, in that they're totally convincing as a death metal band but it's not the viciousness of their attack that gets them there.
Well-put, Etan. "Post-brutality" is an interesting concept to think about it - though it probably arose back in the day with Atheist, Cynic, etc. "Brutality" seems like a dead end now, at any rate.
man, i feel so bad for the people at Willowtip. they might just want to be managment or something. they cant keep anyone.....
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