Beyond Extinction – The Fatal Flaws of Humankind EP

By RingMaster Review on January 27, 2021 • ( 0 )

Crawling over the senses like a lustful ruinous predator, The Fatal Flaws of Humankind is the debut EP from British death metallers Beyond Extinction. It is a voracious release which stands tall in craft and imagination yet comes soaked in the potential of even greater moments to come from a band which although being two years into its existence has the average age of 17 years old.

Hailing from Essex, Beyond Extinction embraces the influence of bands such as Fit For An Autopsy, Thy Art is Murder and Parkway Drive among others to a sound which is already revelling in its own individual imagination and almost cruelly imposing character. As proven within the four tracks of The Fatal Flaws of Humankind, there is a maturity and touch which belies the ages of the band; one which thickly pleasures now and sparks real anticipation of the growth and evolution of their sound ahead. If anything the demise of live shows over the past twelve months has given artists the chance and time to explore every aspect of their music, songwriting and creative bravery with numerous striking results from a great many. Beyond Extinction’s new EP is another prize example; an encounter rising from “hundreds of hours of writing and demoing” with songs “focussing on the concepts of nihilism and the imperfections of the human race” to quite simply blow us here away.

The EP opens up with God Complex, the track thumping against distant walls before appearing in full furore within ears. Grooves entwine and lacerate the senses as vocals spit venom and hostility, rhythms equally toxic in the compelling cauldron. With enmity fuelling its trespass the track proves swiftly addictive and virulently contagious, melodic intimation and grace a radiance in the less invasive shadows of its noxious majesty.

It is a glorious start and striking web of death and groove metal enterprise quickly equalled in temptation by successor, Apex Predator. Immediately, sonic wires wind around ears, rhythms soon prowling with discontent within as that initial lure becomes broader in touch and more caustically imposing. Again vocals spew malignancy with matching ire and appeal as the track second by second and texture by texture devoured the imagination. It is demonic captivation, a song as much stalking the senses as greedily consuming them and fair to say it left us bruised, battered and hankering for more.

Bones Like Branches descends on the listener in full tempest, an instant bludgeoning which soon unravels its rich tempting of waspish grooves and rhythmic voracity to only escalate the tempting. Drama soaks every second as the track’s twists and turns, exposing more of its imaginative landscape all the time. It is torturous, punishing and in one moment deeply haunting and all the while simply irresistible.

Final track, A Face Without Features, similarly is pure drama, its tenebrific opening coaxing melodic intimation and suggestive intrigue to which vocals bring the first hint of malevolence. In little time it is soon another malicious consumption but one unafraid to reveal the creative strands in its rancour and craft in its design. As all tracks it is fluidly unpredictable and hungrily imposing, flourishing in the invention and hostility within its creators.

The Fatal Flaws of Humankind EP is a stunning encounter, one surely destined to see major acclaim as it wakes up the UK metal scene to the striking presence of Beyond Extinction.

The Fatal Flaws of Humankind EP is released January 29^th.