Benea Reach Monument Bineothan
Candlelight Records CDL273 March 6th, 2007
By Jason Jordan
Many fans were chagrined upon learning of the departure of Extols longtime contributor Christer Espevoll (guitars). I have to admit that I hated to see him go, too. Thankfully however, hes resurfaced in Benea Reach a band that naturally has a lot in common with their neighbors listed above. Swedish influence was not, ahem, out of reach either as theres frequent Meshuggah and occasional Burstisms, plus an intermittent likeness to the Netherlandss Textures. Tis unfortunate, at any rate, that Monument Bineothan isnt up to par with efforts by the groups Ive mentioned.
For better or worse, Ilkka often clones Peter Espevolls strained, thrashy screams to the point where the two vocalists are nearly indistinguishable from one another. While Ground Slayer has Paralysis vibes coming and going, other songs like Inheritor and Purge parallel Extol circa Synergy and, to a lesser extent, The Blueprint Dives. While neo-thrash has seeped its way into BR, songs such as Transmitter and Torch recall Meshuggah through overall tones and the dizzying rhythms. I suppose the main detractor is that even though theres no real clunker on Monument Bineothan Benea Reach sound too much like those Ive pointed out.
It is good to have Christer Espevoll back in the songwriting saddle, so to speak, but lets hope the BR collective can come up with a record superior to Monument Bineothan on the next go-around. The only way Id recommend this is if youre pining for more latter-period Extol. As it stands, this album fails to make a name for itself.
Official Benea Reach Website
Official Candlelight Records Website
Candlelight Records CDL273 March 6th, 2007
By Jason Jordan
Many fans were chagrined upon learning of the departure of Extols longtime contributor Christer Espevoll (guitars). I have to admit that I hated to see him go, too. Thankfully however, hes resurfaced in Benea Reach a band that naturally has a lot in common with their neighbors listed above. Swedish influence was not, ahem, out of reach either as theres frequent Meshuggah and occasional Burstisms, plus an intermittent likeness to the Netherlandss Textures. Tis unfortunate, at any rate, that Monument Bineothan isnt up to par with efforts by the groups Ive mentioned.
For better or worse, Ilkka often clones Peter Espevolls strained, thrashy screams to the point where the two vocalists are nearly indistinguishable from one another. While Ground Slayer has Paralysis vibes coming and going, other songs like Inheritor and Purge parallel Extol circa Synergy and, to a lesser extent, The Blueprint Dives. While neo-thrash has seeped its way into BR, songs such as Transmitter and Torch recall Meshuggah through overall tones and the dizzying rhythms. I suppose the main detractor is that even though theres no real clunker on Monument Bineothan Benea Reach sound too much like those Ive pointed out.
It is good to have Christer Espevoll back in the songwriting saddle, so to speak, but lets hope the BR collective can come up with a record superior to Monument Bineothan on the next go-around. The only way Id recommend this is if youre pining for more latter-period Extol. As it stands, this album fails to make a name for itself.
Official Benea Reach Website
Official Candlelight Records Website
