BIOMECHANICAL — Cannibalised

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3.60 | 4 ratings | 2 reviews

Album · 2008

Filed under Technical Thrash Metal
By BIOMECHANICAL

Tracklist

1. Fallen In Fear (4:32)
2. The Unseen (4:30)
3. Cannibalised (5:56)
4. Breathing Silence (5:08)
5. Predatory (4:50)
6. Slow The Poison (5:50)
7. Consumed (5:11)
8. Reborn In Damnation (4:01)
9. Through Hatred Arise (4:44)
10. Violent Descent (3:23)

Total Time 48:05

Line-up/Musicians

- John K. / Vocals, Keyboards
- Adrian Lambert / Bass
- Gus Drax / Guitars
- Chris Van Hayden / Guitars
- Jonno Lodge / Drums

About this release

Released by Earache Records, February 11th, 2008

Limited edition bonus tracks:

11. Imperium (Absolution Parts I - III)
12. Through the Remains (Consumed)
13. Beyond the Descent (Orchestral version)
14. Reborn Into Darkness (Through Hatred Arise) (Orchestral version)

Thanks to Lynx33, UMUR for the updates

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BIOMECHANICAL CANNIBALISED reviews

Specialists/collaborators reviews

UMUR

"Cannibalised" is the 3rd full-length studio album by UK progressive power/thrash metal act Biomechanical. The album was released through Earache Records in February 2008. It´s the successor to "The Empires Of The Worlds" from 2005.

"Cannibalised" continues the "hard to define" music style of "The Empires Of The Worlds (2005)", which means that it´s a combination of thrash/groove metal riffs, screaming US power/heavy metal styled vocals, progressive ideas, and symphonic orchestral keyboards. Although the tracks feature regular vers/chorus parts, "Cannibalised" is not an easy listening experience, which is due to the many influences fighting for domination and often the tracks are multi-layered and quite busy. At times it´s quite a chaotic listen and as a consequence some tracks (like the title track) take several listens to fully grasp.

The 10 tracks on the 48:05 minutes long album are very hard edged and energetic, and it´s only a few times during the playing time that Biomechanical turn down the volume and allow room for more mellow parts (like the case is with "Breathing Silence"). Other than those occasional moments where the listener is allowed to breathe a little, you´re constantly bombarded with pretty extreme screaming vocals (think of Rob Halford on steroids), very fast-paced frantic riffing, and aggressive rhythms.

This approach to playing/singing of course requires great skill, and Biomechanical have that in abundance. The instrumental part of the music is very impressive, and lead vocalist John K. is an incredibly powerful and talented singer too. His performance could have prospered from a little more restraint and focus on melody, instead of almost constantly screaming at the top of his lungs, but it´s still impossible not to recognize how skilled he is.

"Cannibalised" features a powerful sounding production, which is obviously the work of a professional, but when it comes down to it actually lacks a bit of clarity, and the already busy music often ends up even more chaotic sounding that it already is. So I´m a bit biased when it comes to evaluating "Cannibalised", because on one hand I´m very impressed by the musicianship and the often jaw-dropping moments of technical bliss that is a result of that, but on the other hand the songwriting could have been more memorable, and the sound production more detailed and clear sounding. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

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Report #590284

arcane-beautiful

This band is one of those bands where, hearing them for the first time just really grabs your attentions makes you listen with awe.

That amazing sound these guys have, with such power and energy really is a feat to be noticed. These guys are so unnoticed and looked over in the metal world, when in fact they should be given a lot more attention.

This album was made during a very turbulent time, with only lead singer John K. left. It is amazing what he created with limited musicians, and how he arranged music in a more orchestral manner. His vocals are also incredibly diverse. His head voice is amazing, but at time his thrashy vocals are a bit too over shown.

I wouldn’t say this album is a masterpiece, it does have some slight weaker moments, but it does make up for them throughout. The vocals I feel are a bit too low in the mix at times, but it does give the album a more aesthetic edge.

1. Fallen In Fear – What an intro. Epic, frantic and mind-blowing. 10/10

2. The Unseen – Love the chorus. Amazing vocals. The instrumentals section is very frantic. 10/10

3. Cannibalised – The groove throughout is spectacular. It just sounds unnatural but has one of the most insane chorus’ ever made. 10/10

4. Breathing Silence – The clean sections remind me of a dramatic Queensyrche moment. To be honest, the “metal” moments let it down a bit. 9/10

5. Predatory – The chorus is a bit annoying to be honest. Very thrashy. 8/10

6. Slow The Poison – Not the biggest fan of this song. It’s a wee bit weak. 7/10

7. Consumed – Very eerie, dramatic and over the top. But I love it. 9/10

8. Reborn In Damnation – Great vocals and some epic riffing. 9/10

9. Through Hatred Arise – Very epic and doomy. Pretty amazing. 9/10

10. Violent Descent - A wee bit rushed and odd. Not a great ending. 7/10

CONCLUSION: This album does start off amazing, goes downhill, makes up for it and then ends weak. It’s quite generic haha. But despite it, it does have it’s amazing moments, and that’s worth the price alone.