Artist: Beyond Description
Title: Proof of the Truth
Type: Album
Label: Crimes Against Humanity Records
Japanese hardcore thrash anyone? If this first line to the review has done anything but make you click to another review, read on. Beyond Description is a band that has been going since the late 80’s, but despite that has never really got much recognition in the UK. How can I say that? Well, I’ve been listening to thrash since the first time a Metallica bootleg TDK tape snuck onto the metal scene, and I’ve never heard of them. Even a visit to their website shows they’re very much a local act, but considering the locality of Japan has a population of about 128 million, that’s no mean feat. Anyway, enough of the verbal wanderings, and onto the music.
Well, for many years I’ve said if I can’t hear the lyrics, I lose interest, so it’s good to hear a band with a vocalist who can both enunciate his words, and impart them with feeling and not resort to death grunts and blackened pig squeals. On the down side, my Japanese only goes as far as to ask for a cup of tea and denote a few Judo throws! Vocalist Hideyuki Okahara spits out lyrics in a voice sounding like a genetic splicing of early Hetfield, Mike Muir, and Billy Milano, angry shouts and growls fighting against blast beat drums, breakdown bass lines and uncomplicated punk tinged thrash guitars. This same eighties sound prevails, with most tracks barely hitting the two minute mark, and none even daring to break the three minute barrier, making the whole nine track album barely the length of an EP, the punky attack of each abbreviated slice of anger enhancing the whole S.O.D. feel. Solos, such as they are, are barely ten second bridges from one angry guitar riff with its accompanying snarl to the next. Even the positively prog length 2 minutes 50 of CD closer ‘Climb’ opens with an early Anthrax beat, before building up to the a hail so shouts, group vocals and kick drums.
Proof of the Truth is not an album of contemplation and chin stroking, it’s a punk edged thrash ode to sweaty slamming and regardless of your ability of understanding the language, it’s a clarion call to the pit!
http://www.myspace.com/bdjapan
