Beyond the Embrace – Insect Song – Review

beyondtheembrace200Beyond the Embrace

Insect Song (Metal Blade)
by Mike Delano

These brothers of true metal only have two albums under their bullet belt, and while their flesh engine doesn’t appear on the verge of a breakdown, it could certainly use a tune up.

Beyond The Embrace isn’t pulling any punches here. This is straight-up melodic death metal in the vein of obvious Swedish reference points, In Flames and Soilwork. I can’t think of a better place to start. Unfortunately, both of those bands have already released albums that push the genre to new realms of brilliance and define them at the peak of their powers (Reroute to Remain and Natural Born Chaos). So while BTE is more than capable of delivering a solid metal album, they’ve jumped into a field where the stakes are very high, and their songs just can’t compete. Yet.

The good news is, they’re on the right path. The tight, 10-track Insect Song has all the ingredients, from a sturdy bag-o-riffs to the speed and aggression they’ll need to compete with the big timers. But the songs are all marked with the kind of rushed mediocrity in lyrics and composition that plagued both of the Swedish masters’ follow-ups to their masterpieces. There’s no doubt BTE has their guns loaded, they just need to wait for better shots before firing.
(www.metalblade.com)