BENEA REACH - MONUMENT BIONEOTHAN - 2007

Benea Reach is a brand new act emerging out of Norway in the christian scene. While I personally feel that christians do not belong in metal, I will not allow that bias to affect this review. Don't be fooled by the phrase "christian" as the music witnessed here is immensely dark and full of progressive atmospheric beauty. Monument Bineothan is one of the more interesting releases from the progressive realm that I have heard in quite sometime, featuring everything from childlike vocal melodies to tasteful disharmonized guitar lines. While the press sheet makes references to the likes of Meshuggah, Isis, and Tool, I would not agree with any of them. Benea Reach is venturing into a realm of music not quite yet explored by many if any metal artists. There is almost a ring of fog that encases 99% of metal bands and their genres in the world right now, and Benea Reach stands far outside of this loop, venturing further into the unknown and writing tasteful extreme music the entire way.

Benea Reach really can't be called metalcore other than for their style of dress and hair. Their music doesn't truly reflect many if any metalcore acts I’ve heard in my time. There are no breakdowns to speak of, and the clean vocals used aren't whiney, but rather dark and almost claustrophobic, like a mist that one would breathe in on a long walk on a dark road. Enveloping yet transparent, the music found within Monument Bineothan is truly something to be experienced by any fan of extreme experimental metal. References to TooL can only be found through bizarre timed-palm muted riffs, while references to Meshuggah can only be found via the oddly timed power chord progressions. Dillinger Escape Plan can be thought of but also really holds no grasp in comparison as Benea Reach doesn't use those annoying plucked disharmonics for an "insanity" effect, but rather strummed disharmonized chords for furthering their dark atmosphere. Benea Reach have truly entered the scene in the shadows, and have remained there, not venturing close enough to be considered anything like any other act in any metal scene out there at this moment in time. This is truly something special. If Today is the Day and Mastodon had a child, Benea Reach would most assuredly be it.

The most amazing thing about this album is the high-end vocalists' ability to switch pitches through atmosphereic/melodic parts mid-scream as if he's actually singing. I have not yet heard a single extreme vocalist be able to pull this off and continuously hit the correct pitch until listening to Monument Bineotah. This is not only a fantastic progressive release, this is a future classic of perhaps soon to be one of the most widely-known bands in the metal genre. Keep a look out for Benea Reach.