Benea Reach is a band from Oslo (Norway). ‘Possession’ is their third album, after ‘Alleviat’ in 2008 and ‘Monument Bineothan’ in 2006. For the latter they received a Norwegian Grammy.
The music by Benea Reach is not easily labeled, but I am going to give it a try anyway. Benea Reach plays mathcore with progressive and modern elements, without losing any heaviness. The music is technical, is full of unusual rhythm patterns, chaotic riffs, melodies, holds many layers, is built on downtuned guitars and houses a large dose of originality. That sounds like a continuation of the previous albums and to some extent this is certainly the case, yet ‘Possession’ comes out quite different from the previous albums. Where ‘Alleviat’ sounds mainly heavy and tardy, ‘Possession’ has a lighter, more accessible approach. Furthermore, they play a lot more with the dynamics and the album has more pace and mood changes, which makes it a lot more varied and colorful. In addition, there is more use of synthesizers and occasionally a cello and violin is to be heard (‘Fallen’). The vocals of Ilkka Viitasalo (ex-Selfmindead) are intense and very contrasting: he uses deep grunts and puts outs just as easily hysterical screams (‘Empire’) and clean vocals. It may not appeal to everyone, but the deep emotion and intensity enrich the overall sound. In addition, the band makes regular usage of female vocals (e.g. ‘Desolate’, ‘Aura’), which form an attractive contrast to the rawer sound that comes from Ilkka.
‘Possessions’ may not be an album one can listen to with ease, but when you invest some time in it, all of its beauty and enriching details reveal themself and show the new album Benea Reach to be a real gem!
Rating: 88/100
Written by Patrick
Tracklist:
1. Woodland
2. The Mountain
3. Desolate
4. Nocturnal
5. Crown
6. Empire
7. Shedding Skin
8. Fallen
9. Constellation
10. The Dark
11. Aura
Band members:
Ilkka Viitasalo – Vocals
Marco Storm – Drums
Mikael Wildøn – Bass
Andreas Berglihn – Guitars
Heddal- Guitars
Alwin Nedrum- Digital Audio, Noise, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals
Discography:
Monument Bineothan [2006]
Alleviat [2008]
Possession [2013]
Record Label: Spinefarm Records, Jan. 2013
Weblinks: Facebook / Website / Myspace / Twitter
Video below for “The Mountain”