Montreal tech death outfit Beyond Creation have put out the first of several planned playthrough videos from their stellar sophomore album Earthborn Evolution [review], wherein the band (sans drummer Phillippe Boucher) tear through the sweet but short “L’exorde.” Beyond Creation are one of those bands that have received practically universal acclaim from the metal community, and their debut, 2011’s The Aura, is nearly unmatched as debut albums go in tech death. Its followup, the heavily jazz-influenced Earthborn Evolution, was my album of the year in 2014, and rightfully made it all the way to the number 3 spot on our aggregated Best of 2014 list. That being said, it eventually did drop out of regular rotation as all albums eventually do — yet somehow seeing guitarists Simon Girard and Kevin Chartré as well as new bassist Hugo Doyon-Karout collectively weave their magic on video has almost instantaneously rekindled my love for the album.Video and thoughts after the jump!
I’m particularly stunned by how Girard appears to be playing most of the lead lines and tapping figures, considering he’s also pulling vocal duties at the same time when performing live. Picked riffs are one thing to sing with, but being able to tap stuff of this caliber out without looking at the fretboard while simultaneously handling vocals is a particularly impressive feat of muscle memory. New bassist Doyon-Karout is also on point here — the man has big shoes to fill, and while he admittedly doesn’t quite have the sheer presence that former bassist Dominic ‘Forest’ Lapointe brought with him, the fact that he plays along to the song flawlessly without breaking a sweat is testament enough to him being a solid replacement for the legendary Lapointe. Admittedly, there are those who are still upset by Lapointe’s departure, but I would still give Doyon-Karout some time to well and truly settle into his new role. He clearly has the chops required for it, and we can only expect great things from here on out.
Upcoming playthrough videos from Beyond Creation include a bass video for “Sous la lueur de l’empereur” as well as a guitar playthrough for album highlight “Theatrical Delirium”. The band also been announced for the annual Summer Slaughter Tour, and despite the seemingly mixed reactions from the community regarding the lineup, I would argue seeing them is worth the price of admission to that tour alone. If you’re somewhat skeptical of that last statement, I’d advise scrolling up and watching the video again.
-AH