21 Spins: Beastface – BF II (EP)

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Review by ÆRæder

Metalcore outfit Beastface has been around since 2010, with a limited amount of recordings that have been released every few years since then. Digging around I saw info on a 2011 debut that I was not able to find online. Return of Beastface (2015) and BF-I (2021) are available on the group’s Bandcamp page.

After listening to this album over 21 times, here is my take:

Sound/Mix

Once I heard about it, I used streaming services until the album was posted on Bandcamp. No CD available as of yet, but the digital versions of the album showcase high level of recording and mixing quality. The band has several links posted to a site at Zerobudget records, but it is dead.

With more digging, I found some old info on Zerobudget records that indicate it had closed shop. Not sure what the current status is, but the sound on this album makes me want to know more. The drums are heavy and full, the bass lines groove & boom smoothly. And the dynamics of soft/loud playing create some sweet sonic flow in each of the 4 songs.

When it gets quiet nothing is lost; everything still feels detailed and present, with enough headroom that when it gets loud, you notice it. The vocals are tucked back slightly in both scream and clean mode, and this helps the tone of the instruments really come across. What I dug immediately was the effects on the vocals over the whole album (the megaphone/telephone sorta thing). I would prefer this effect on most clean singing I hear these days, whether or not the singer can hit notes! For Beastface, it suits the slight dissonance of the clean parts, and helps the vocals hang in the mix.

Performance

I had a tough time pegging down exactly what Beastface is. A metalcore-esque vibe comes across immediately, and an element of hardcore in the vocals and guitar chord patterns. This EP is notably heavier and “more metal” than prior releases. They touch upon, but aren’t overly utilizing styles or techniques of the gospel subgenres ( Thrash, Death, Black, Doom, Heavy – https://kfai.org/program/roar-of-underground/). Some doomy, sludgy riffs and rhythm grooves are what kept me going at this album and appreciating it more and more. The 4th track, “Senses”, stood out to me performance-wise. It captures the dynamic range of Beastface and their increasingly heavier and darker sound.

Highlights

After spending time listening and doing some serious thinking about how everything I was hearing fits together, I came away with two highlights:

  1. Guitar tone. The overall sound and tone of the guitar tracks on this album are simply massive. Chords, arpeggios, chugging downpicked and quick alternating riffs, and lead bursts are all obviously well thought out and dialed in to create feeling and a mood for each tune. Effects are used sparingly, creating just enough accent or embellishment to really make each song section stand out.
  2. Drum beats. I love fast, heavy blastbeats, but it can be extremely refreshing to hear heavy drumming focused on groove and matching the cadence and beat with the guitar strums and bass lines. Each section and the placement of each strike against a drumhead or cymbal is extremely well thought out. There is not a lot of beat repeat, making the songs feel very dynamic and alive. 

For an example of the excellent guitar tone and drumming described above, check out the second track, “Strange Ritual”. There is a lot going on, and the dynamic soft/loud theme is most evident in this tune. 

Shade

I was throwing around thoughts of shade during early listenings trying to figure this album out, but most of that has been settled after repeated listens. I think where I struggle most is with the amount of clean, dissonant singing. My preference is screams, roars, and even squeals at a higher ratio. This is maybe another area where metalcore and hardcore can get grating for me, personally, to listen to extensively. 

Summary

In my head, the problem with metalcore is that a lot of bands start to sound like they are trying too hard, and the problem with hardcore is that they sound like they aren’t trying. After listening to this album a ton, I didn’t get the feeling that either of these were an issue. It is a heavy, aggressive, dissonantly melodic album with some well thought-out song construction, tones, and a unique incorporation of a variety of different styles/techniques. I think Beastface has a unique thing going on. They should keep trending heavier/darker, and get some albums out more frequently!

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