THE BEAST OF NOD - Vampira: Disciple of Chaos ALBUM REVIEW
Paul Buckley (Vocals) Görebläster Körpse-härvest Lunden (Guitar) Nate MacMillen (Drums) Brendan Burdick (Bass)
THE BEAST OF NOD sounds like a fairytale name told in folklore from that of The Brothers Grimm. But the "Beasts of Boston" are the ones telling the story with their insanely epic "Intergalactic Death Metal" concept band.
[noun] 1. A sub-genre of death metal music featuring linear song structures, odd time signatures, and extremely technical passages, wherein songs explore the characters and events of a sci-fi universe called “The Land of Nod.”
THE BEAST OF NOD, was born in 2011 in Boston, MA. The quartet started blending all of their favorite ideas from comic books into a brutal death and math metal brew, spitting out their first record Vampira: Diciple of Chaos, the first album in what looks to be epic forthcomings to come as each tune digs deeper exploring characters and events of a sci-fi universe that the band has learned to call “The Land of Nod”.
What triggered my fancy on this band wasn't the music, but the story. While their music is infinitely epic on it's own, with 7 string shredding and blast beats galore, it was the storyline that drew me in.
Being a huge comic-book and storyline/concept album enthusiast myself, (my band has a concept album as well.) I fell in love with the idea by title alone, conjuring up thought of monsters living in the land where (according to the Book of Genesis) Cain was exiled by God after Cain had murdered his brother Abel.
I was way more surprised on further inspection realizing that this was more than that, which features a story of an intergalactic sci-fi tale that well, you just have to read for yourself.
The first issue is out RIGHT HERE!
While metal isn't my immediate fancy, this band is straight up epic. Intricate time signatures, pull-offs and chuggy heavy parts where they're needed, ambient orchestral parts in the background which lay like a blanketed landscape to the chaos that ensues in the foreground, and a fair share of brutal growls and screaming lyrics that intensify the madness that's going on.
First listening to The Beast of Nod made me feel the same way that I did about a Jersey-based prog. band that I fell in love with about a decade ago. While Coheed & Cambria is no where musically the same as the band, (well maybe some of those instrumental parts) The Beast of Nod made me feel the EXACT same way on first listen. Uncomfortable. Excited. Confused. Fascinated. Intrigued.
While Coheed wasn't an initial (fuck yeah I love this band) the initial reaction to the storyline is what did it for me and hooked me in. Like Coheed, TBON's skill to deliver and tell an interesting story spread across an entire album is what drew me in. To me The Beast of Nod is like all of the epic brutality of bands like Cannibal Corpse, Dimmu Borgir and Rings of Saturn combined with intricate, intense storylines that Coheed and Cambria delivers, all topped off with a sprinkle of Dethklok. (yes the band from Metalocalypse.)
Why Dethklok? well when I'm listening, I'm thoroughly enjoying the tune, but then have to remind myself that some of the lyrics are actual dialog from the story which can describe beautiful scenery to characters escaping a majestic flying monster in space. It makes my heart explode. If you have a smart-phone (because who fucking doesn't) I highly suggest you check out their 360 view videos and/or check out the guitar play-throughs which are equally as mesmerizing.
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