BESIEGED

BESIEGED "Violence Beyond All Reason"

By Dr. Abner Mality

It's been over 10 years since I heard BESIEGED's last album "Victims Beyond All Help". A check of my review of that one reveals I was pretty much knocked senseless by the Canadian band on that record. The group for all in the world sounded like they came out of South America circa 1990 on that withering burst of thrash.

If anything, the band has become even more frenzied here. This shit just doesn't stop! It blurs the lines between thrash and death metal. Is it better than the previous album? I would have to say no. That one had more of a controlled, riff-based attack ala SEPULTURA in their "Schizophrenia"/"Beneath the Remains" days. "Violence Beyond All Reason" is on the verge of flying off the rails completely and resembles the very earliest South American thrash. The production doesn't really help them here...the guitars are way dry and the relentlessly banging drums are mixed so far in the front, they overwhelm everything else. As a result, the songs lose some memorability.

In terms of adrenaline-fueled insanity, this record is off the hook and that will sure appeal to those who think modern thrash has become too "tame". I'm amazed by BESIEGED's energy, but "Victims Beyond All Help" was the better album, I think.

UNSPEAKABLE AXE RECORDS

BESIEGED