Betraying The Martyrs

Breathe In Life

Written by: PP on 08/01/2012 03:32:02

Deathcore has reached a point of saturation where it's change or die for the bands involved. Recently, we've seen bands like Carnifex follow the path set by Job For A Cowboy by transforming from pig squeals and senseless breakdowns into a more dynamically flowing sound that resembles modern death metal bands. This seems to be the career move for a lot of deathcore bands we've come across. But Paris, France based Betraying The Martyrs take a wholly different approach on their debut album "Breathe In Life".

Much like their preceding EP, deathcore is only the foundation behind their music, but not the limiting factor. There are lots of deep (generic) growls and uninspiring instrumentation (read: tasteless breakdowns) to be found on the disc, but they splice the expression up with symphonic undertones and a post-hardcore element I've certainly never heard on a deathcore album before. It's best described as symphonic deathcore - think Fleshgod Apocalypse except in deathcore - but whenever the cleans arrive, you're almost in Asking Alexandria-esque post-hardcore / metalcore territory. They caught me by complete surprise because of how (pseudo) brutal the vocals and the instrumentation is especially in the beginning of "Martyrs". They add a much-needed extra dimension to the music, just like the symphonic element does. Neither is over used rather than left to enrich the soundscape and escape from the generic deathcore mould.

If you didn't think it possible for deathcore to sound innovative and fresh, think again. Betraying The Martyrs show that it is possible to merge the genre with other elements than boring breakdowns, pig squeals and unconvincing brutality. "Breathe In Life" is a real example of a deathcore band daring to think outside of the box big time, and it should be commended for doing so. Even the artwork is unusually bright and clear for a band in this genre. Catchy, beautiful songs with a brutal contrast. Can't go wrong with that.

Download: Man Made Disaster, Martyrs, Because Of You
For the fans of: Whitechapel, Winds Of Plague,
Listen: Myspace

Release date 19.09.2011
Listenable Records


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