thePULSEDeath Metal is Alive and Well
By Bobby Hankinson
Canada ~ our neighbor to the north. Home of Mounties, Molson, and the Maple Leafs, it’s also the source of one more “m:” metal. From Voivod to Gorguts and later Ion Dissonance and Neuraxis, many heavy hitting rockers have called the Great White North their home.
Death metal fans can add Beneath the Massacre to that list as well. Coming out of Montreal, Quebec, this foursome ~ comprised of vocalist Elliot Desgagnés, Justin Rousselle on drums, and brothers Christopher and Dennis Bradley on guitar and bass respectively ~ released their debut full-length album “Mechanics of Dysfunction” earlier this year. They come to the Palladium July 6 as part of the Summer Slaughter Tour with Necrophagist, Decapitated, and As Blood Runs Black.
Desgagnés lived on the same street as the Bradley Brothers and said they may have been the first people he met outside of his family. The trio then met Rousselle in high school when they were about 13. The guys listened to everything from hip-hop to hardcore, but it was the band Death that got them into metal.
But Beneath the Massacre’s brand of metal is particularly intense, full of pounding drums and precise riffs. When asked how he would describe the band’s sound to someone who may never have heard it, Desgagnés replied, “I would say that it is fast, aggressive and that they probably wouldn’t like it,” he said jokingly. “I mean, if you listen to mainstream music and you never have been introduced to anything extreme, stay away from our CD cause it’ll give you a major headache!”
It’s not just the band’s technical prowess that sets them apart. Their lyrics cry out against the evils of capitalism and exploitation of the working class. “I’ve been growing up listening to punk music with meaningful lyrics, and just couldn’t see myself scream random stuff in a mic,” Desgagnés said.
Of course no band is perfect, and Desgagnés admits Beneath the Massacre is no different. When working on their first full-length album, he said only half of the songs were completely ready, forcing the band to kick it into high gear. “By the time we were doing the vocals, we were running out of time and we really had to rush it; I hated it. I was sick and shouldn’t have done it. One night I was so sick that I ended up at the emergency room at 5 a.m.”
Still, listeners would never know by listening to the finished disc. It’s like a non-stop assault (in a good way), much like Beneath the Massacre’s live performances. “I guess a lot of people are not expecting that much energy. When we go on stage we’re so pumped.”
With one full-length already under their belts and a massive tour underway, Desgagnés promised announcements about future big tours coming up. Stay tuned at beneaththemassacre.com.
