BENEATH THE SURFACE: Abriosis

Beneath the Surface serves to put the spotlight specifically on underground, unsigned, emergering and generally unheard of bands. Check out their myspace, go see 'em at a show, and buy some merch!


from myspace.com/abriosis

Abriosis. Not a real word. Sounds intense though. Read on.

You know the genre tags on a band's MySpace? i.e. metal/hardcore/death metal... well these guys describe themselves as "Dissonant/Disgusting/Death Metal." If that appeals to you, you will like them-- read no further, just go listen to them. If that is not appealing to you, WAIT! Don't sign them off just yet! (Unr.-- they're unsigned!! :P)

Abriosis are pure brutal tech-death. That is what should be in the MySpace genre description. They are also pure awesomeness. And I don't use that term lightly.

Ok so enough about their name and their MySpace... in terms of sound, think Necrophagist and Origin as primary inspiration. Supplemented by Deeds of Flesh and maybe some Spawn of Possession.

The riffs display boatloads of chops, combining machine-gun speed and precision with robotically-articulated sweeps and arps. Hence the Origin and Necrophagist inspiration. This is an excellent foundation for their songs, which across their 5-song EP, combine the cold, crushing, calculated mechanality of, say, Beneath the Massacre/Brain Drill (loosely) skillfully woven with myriad classical textures in the same vein as Suicmez's solos and leads. The guitars alternate between rapid-fire weedily passages and concrete-smashing staccato. The vocals are standard tech-death fare, done exceptionally well, and they complement the overall sound quite well. The instrumentation and vocals take turns playing lead and support: select segments feature percussive riffs to bolster low grunts and growls, while others allow extended screams/roars to spotlight a colorful lick's soaring flare. Certain scream/riff combos are quite reminiscent of Diskreet, if you happen to be familiar with them. Unfortunately, the drums and bass are a bit under-utilized. The drumming provides excellent foundational support for the hard-hitting slams, but does little to differentiate itself. And of course the bass is barely audible. Frown.

Overall these Canadians know how to rip it up. Their music combines the best aspects found in the technical death metal spectrum into a "dissonant, disgusting" (AKA KICK-ASS) sonic assault. They avoid common pitfalls such as feelingless guitarplaying, over-repetition, and self-indulgent wankery.

There's a quote from Decibel on their myspace page that says something to the tune of "potency of an area's weed is directly proportional to the quality of their metal." Translation, Vancouver has great bud. I MEAN, FUCKING LISTEN TO THIS BAND.

http://www.myspace.com/abriosis

-L. U'cut