MARCH 2023 OFFER: Buy any 2 LPs or 4 CDs and get a random free flag with your order!
MARCH 2023 OFFER: Buy any 2 LPs or 4 CDs and get a random free flag with your order!
Switzerland’s Beansidhe is likely to be a new name to most of you, but the band’s actually been around since 1999. It has taken them quite a bit of time to get material out though, as the group’s first demo ‘Beansidhe’s Everlasting Cry’ released in 2004 and its follow-up EP ‘De Mortis Eloquentia’ came out in 2010. Following some lineup changes that brought a new bassist and vocalist on-board in 2014, Beansidhe finally put out their debut full length ‘Mónt’ in as a limited independent release in 2015. Polish label Via Nocturna has now picked up the album for expanded distribution on July 28th, and we’re pleased to have the chance to premiere the song Febraar.
Listening to Febraar, it’s evident that the long incubation period has been put to good use, as while the core of Beansidhe’s music is death metal there’s a lot more happening here that pulls in elements of just about every other metal sub-genre. Throughout the almost seven minute run time the instrumentalists provide plenty of twists and turns, with the earlier riffs sounding like a cross between melodic death metal circa the 90s and Greek black metal. With slower, methodical instrumentation and melodies that have a noticeably epic flair to them, it’s not hard to draw comparisons to bands like Rotting Christ. But Beansidhe doesn’t stop there, upping the tempo around the halfway point and delivering a galloping, soaring lead that grabs some of heavy metal’s grandeur. There are natural rises and falls, with some of the mellowest moments offering period of reflective calm that aren’t always common from metal bands. This is the type of song that you can put on and get lost in as the group takes you on a journey, and with all of the different stylistic elements it can’t be pinned down into one specific metal sub-genre.
Being able to provide twisting and turning instrumental work that shifts over the course of a single song is impressive, but a lot of bands derail it by having their vocalist offer the same scream or growl without any changes. This is another area where Beansidhe makes a strong impact, as not only do they alternate between guttural growls and higher shrieks but there’s a wide range of clean singing as well. The cleaner pitches have a somber, spiritual feel to them that suits the material perfectly, and it may catch you by surprise the first time you hear Febraar. Versatile vocals always have my support, and this is an area that the band excels at throughout ‘Mónt’.
Beansidhe has the potential to appeal to a wide range of metal fans, whether it’s someone looking for the sweeping melodies of early melodic death metal or that slower, almost ritualistic type of black metal. Crank up the volume, close yourself off from the outside world, and get lose in everything this group has to offer. ‘Mónt’ is out July 28th on Via Nocturna.
