Wow, where do you start with this one? One Step Beyond are a band from Australia that plays a pretty eclectic form of extreme metal. Beyond Good and Evil is their latest CD, and second overall. The band are in the process of adding a second guitarist after the passing of their co-founder Jeremy Lammas last year (he played all the guitars on this CD), as well as auditioning for a live drummer. On this CD, bass, vocals, and beat programming was handled by Mad Matt, with vocals also provided by Justin. In the band currently as well is guitarist Rufus. The music? Well, it's hard to describe. At times this is like a mix of Faith No More, Primus, Dillinger Escape Plan, Frank Zappa, and Napalm Death, although you can hear bits of jazz, reggae, and funk at times. The first half of the CD is pretty much in the metal camp, with raging death/grind pieces like "True Faced", "Birth of Disease", and "Maniac/Watch Your Back" mixed in with the more Primus flavored material like "The Party" and "Everyday". Mad Matt's bass licks are outstanding throughout, and coupled with some tasty riffs from the late Lammas, made for a potent brew. As extreme as some of the songs are, there's always this underpinning of funk that really sets this stuff apart. Vocally, these guys are all over the map, as you hear a variety of screams, shouts, and growls, some of which may or may not work for you depending on your taste.
However, later on you get hit with some spacey reggae/hip hop/space rock material like "Black Light Blue" and "Depth of Mind", which really throws a wrinkle in things. Fear not though, as the band rages back with blistering extreme metal like "Made for Cable" and "Foot High Tough Guy" (love that title!) to let you know where their allegiance really lies. It all makes for a very unique listening experience, and it should be interesting to see where these guys go from here.
Oh yeah, and the cover art by Pierre Bourgeault is very cool as well!
Track Listing
- True Faced
- Birth of Disease
- The party
- Your God
- Maniac/Watch Your Back
- Mirrorstance
- Everyday
- Black Light Blue
- Depth of Mind
- Made For Cable
- Chase
- Foot High Tough Guy
- Blinding Haze
- The Calm Before
- Fee to Air
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