Thursday, October 9, 2008

Beecher - This Elegy, His Autopsy Review

Beecher - This Elegy, His Autopsy
Beecher
This Elegy, His Autopsy
Earache Records
8/10
Label Website



Boy, Beecher really blew their load in a hurry. Signing with Earache in late 2004 , folowing the issuance of their IATDE Record “Resention Is A Big Word In A Small Town,” 2005 saw the re-release of the band’s “Breaking The Fourth Wall” and this posthumous swan song in the same year. As a journalist, I must admit I felt a bit beat over the head by Beecher, with three releases flying at me in under a year and a half, but let there be no doubt that “This Elegy, His Autopsy” is irrefutably the band’s best work.


Very textured, admirably experimental and most importantly, richly engaging, this 13-track affair is an exercise in sonic deviancy, from Blasting grind, to restless post-hardcore to Dillinger Escape Plan-type trickery. Beecher displays maturity and vast potential. Knob-turning by Kurt Ballou of Converge will no doubt bring up quick comparisons to the outfit of the producer, but Beecher makes an honest attempt to put on their own face, a trait that’s more apparent on this record than any issued by the group thus far.


Ed Goodby issues jagged shrieks and pointed screaming over top of thick dissonance and fluctuating, obtuse tempos. But the sound of Beecher is not always completely over-the-top, the group also takes occasion to throw depth and in small instances, melody into their songwriting. From the reckless chaos of “Function! Function!” to the swelling ambience of “The Biting Cold,” “This Elegy, His Autopsy” is a compelling listen with a massive scope. Although it serves as the band’s epitaph as is, more Beecher music would certainly be welcome, this makes for an excellent parting statement from a group that more than likely burned too brightly much too quickly.

By: Hardcore Jill

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