Biomechanical - "Cannibalised" CD Review (Earache Records)

Until I read the band's press release, I wouldn't have known that this disc is the conclusion of a conceptual trilogy that began with Eight Moons. John K says that "This story is told from somebody who realized there is no way out of this reality. Cannibalised is the acceptance of the death of his spirit. Every song is a different take of his emotions. The songs don't run like a story, but describe different thoughts as he plunges into darkness."

Cannibalised is the hardest and most musically dense release of the trilogy. As with the past two releases, John K mixes cinematic themes and layers of sound with blistering power-metal. John's voice ranges from an operatic falsetto (like Halford or Dickenson) to a Cookie Monster death metal growl. Aside for John K, the band completely changed over from The Empires of the Words and the songs on this disc highlight some killer guitar work from newcomers Chris Van Hayden and Gus Drax. Chris Tsangarides continues on from Empire as producer and his crystal clear production emphasizes the band's dense musical soundscapes. Right when the intensity of the band's attack starts to get overwhelming, the band changes pace. "Breathing Silence" and "Consumed" are two of the more interesting and diverse tracks on this release.

There is so much going on within this disc that it requires multiple listenings to take everything in. Multiple listenings though are well worth the effort as Biomechanical is far from your average metal band.

Links:
Biomechanical's MySpace Page
Biomechanical's Website

Biomechanical - Empires of the World CD Review

I hadn't heard Biomechanical prior to listening to this CD but was somewhat aware that this disc made a few "Best of 2006" lists. I have to agree as this is simply a great disc. Vocalist John K has range that goes from a death metal growl to being able to challenge Rob Halford or Bruce Dickenson. It is refreshing that the vocals are clean in numerous parts making the lyrics understandable. Guitarists Jamie Hunt and Chris Webb play complex and intense melodies which keeps every song interesting. While I would compare the overall sound of the band to early Judas Priest (turned up to 11) or Pantera, the guitars don't sound like the NWOBHM bands. This is neither the dual-lead guitar sound of Priest or Thin Lizzy nor the free-form wankery of some of the more extreme math-metal bands but a complex, almost orchestral sound that is enhanced by Hunt's use of a MIDI guitar which brings in some cinematic elements.

There are also a number of sound effects used on the CD. While it all sounds really cool, I didn't fully understand the context and looked up some of the band's comments on their forum. Here is their comment on the voice-over on the track Enemy Within:

It says:

“Listen to me…Listen to me, you must awake, you have to awake, there isn’t much time, There isn’t much time left for me. This is my final offence.”

The idea was inspired by the 1987 film ‘The Prince of Darkness’. A person was receiving a warning through his dreams and this is what’s happening on the album. The intro is a warning heard from the moment just before the Final Offence, sent to his own sub consciousness so that he will awake and prepare him self for what he has to confront in the future.

This CD was originally released in 2005 but was rereleased as a 'redux' edition late last year by Earache. The new addition adds a dead-on cover of Judas Priest's Painkiller and three videos which are the Empires of the World video, and two 'behind-the-scenes' videos showing the making of the Empires video and the recording of Painkiller.

This is a band to watch as they could easily cross over into the mainstream and break big. The band just finished a tour of Europe supporting 3 Inches of Blood. Announced plans are a tour with Sikth in July and the band is also working on a new release entitled Cannibalised. The band announced on their website forum that the new album will consist of ten tracks and will conclude the first two albums 'Eight Moons' and 'The Empires of the Worlds'. The album will be out sometime around September - October 2007.

Let's hope for a US tour...

Links:
Biomechanical Main Website (link)