This is the latest EP from Beyond Grace, a death metal band from the UK.
Beyond Grace are top tier band that shockingly few people seem to be aware of. All of their discography, (Monstrous, Seekers, Our Kingdom Undone, and Welcome to the New Dark Ages, Part 1), is worth spending time with, so it’s with high expectations that we turn to Welcome to the New Dark Ages, Part 2.
Like Part 1, Part 2 consists of three new songs and a cover song, (this time originally by Sting). With a duration of 18 minutes, Welcome to the New Dark Ages, Part 2 offers up a tasty treat for fans of contemporary heaviness.
Beyond Grace play an intelligently crafted form of modern death metal, complete with technical flourishes, progressive depth, instant appeal heaviness, and an emotive side that’s uncommon for the style. Fiercely passionate, it’s a compelling mix of controlled aggression and hook-filled intricacy.
We begin with Until Morale Improves, and Beyond Grace’s increasingly satisfying sound is once again upon us. It’s angular and dense, while also boasting a stomping heaviness that should see this track slay live. The melodic aspect of the song is abrasive and inhuman, but the heart of the band allows feeling to seep into what is otherwise an industrial-grade killing machine. The song has some of the band’s deepest and most brutal growls, (delivered by their guitarist, I think), augmented by the lead singer’s roars, screams, and a brief burst of clean singing. This is one of the band’s more merciless songs, despite the glimpses of introspective grace that appear here and there.
Next up is The Killing Floor, a song that explodes with blasting technical intensity and an underlying riff that Psycroptic would be proud of. It’s more accessible than the obtuse brutality of its predecessor, although obviously this is all relative; The Killing Floor is a meaty modern death metal powerhouse. The song showcases the band’s potent songwriting smarts, delivering lethal heaviness and sharp hooks in equal measure. It’s a very strong and easy to enjoy song, and I can see why they chose it for the EP’s lead video. There’s a charged energy here that drives the music into your skull and out through the back of your head. Nice.
The final original cut is White Bear, which opens with a considered worldbuilding that presents a different facet of Beyond Grace. This segues into a progressive expression of extremity, one that’s complex in character and clean-vocal-enhanced. It strangely puts me in mind of a less-frenzied Anaal Nathrakh, only from a technical/progressive death metal viewpoint, rather than a scathing blackened one. Sort of. Either way, it’s less instant than the previous track, and more mood-based in how it unfolds over time.
Fragile is a Sting cover. It’s not a song I know, but Beyond Grace’s version is aggressively melodic, delivering a song-based approach to death metal carnage that juxtaposes nicely against White Bear‘s more impenetrable veneer.
Another professional and engaging tight musical package from Beyond Grace then. One day I’ll catch them live and dance around like a maniac to their impressive noise, but until then this new set of songs will have to suffice. Come on now people, let’s help this superlative band get some much-deserved exposure. Welcome to the New Dark Ages, Part 2 has strong songs, a strong sound, and a strong personality. What’s not to like?
Don’t miss out.
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