Martyr
Feeding the Abcess
Band: Martyr BUY NOW!
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Canada's Martyr has created one of the most jaw-dropping complex progressive extreme metal albums ever! That is a bold statement, but once you hear
"Feeding the Abscess" you will find it extremely difficult to mount an
argument. Imagine a synthetic blend of
Death Metal's greatest progressive bands: Death, Atheist, and Cynic with a
Meshuggah cybernetic sound.
"Feeding the Abscess" defines the term "progressive". The music is constantly changing, from fast speed picking to blurring fast double picks to string pounding abuses to melodic intros to jazzy, free-form Fredrik Thordendal-style solos to...well, you get the picture. The group twists and turns through all these forms, but always maintains structure. There seems to be a core rhythm running through out each song, and during no part of the album do any of the changes sound forced. Most of the album is a bull rush of momentum with incredulous time signatures. The blistering momentum never lets up, but each member makes millisecond pauses to create a flow in their rhythms. These rapid pauses are of pure grace, each guitarist's fingers moving with the speed and agility of a falcon diving on a whim to capture prey. During these complex time changes, the band allows each member to highlight his talent, whether it is the bassist doing a miniature solo or the drummer doing a furious fill, the listener gets a chance to hear each instrument clearly. Sometimes technical bands come across as being too technical, trading in good song writing for technical prowess. Not Martyr. Most of their rhythms will stay playing in your mind long after you turn off their disc. One facet of their playing that makes it so appealing is how they layer these catchy rhythms. Take for example the verse rhythm on "Nameless, Faceless, Neverborn". This riff sounds similar to the main riff on Carcass' "Heartwork". The smaller string notes the lead guitarist hits are emulated by the rhythm guitarist, only played with heavier strings. Two other aspects of the album are worth mentioning. One is the bizarre violin sections. Antoine Bareil belts out short violin solos on the tracks "Havoc" and "Part IV-Shellshocked". These violin sections are not classically played violin or melodramatic like My Dying Bride; instead, Bareil's bow burns up the strings, much in the way that The Great Kat plays, but nowhere near as ear piercing. The other aspect that readers have to know about is the awesome cover they do of their fellow Canadian's, Voivod's "Brainscan" in honour of the recently departed, Dennis "Piggy" D'Amour. Great sounding cover played in Martyr's style but never loosing the identity of the original. Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault of Voivod fame picks up the bass for a moment on this track. Galy Records is a label not as recognized as labels such as Century Media and Relapse Records. That does not mean the calibre of their bands is any less than those labels, though. Since I first heard Augury two years ago, I make sure to check out any band I see bearing the Galy Records logo. So far, I have not heard a bad album. Most of their artists play extreme progressive music. Martyr appears to be the most technical band on the label's roster. If you are not familiar with the label, pick up a disc by one of their bands if you get a chance. Martyr's "Feeding the Abscess" is the ideal place to start. Darren Cowan
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