The band name wasn’t familiar to me but I could see that Besta have been pumping out death-grindcore for more than 10 years and that this is their fourth album release. I can also see that three of the members are in Sinistro, two of whose albums I previously reviewed and was impressed with. They were in a darker style than was suggested here. The preamble that came with this told us to expect a bit of variety in the style, so that was something to hope for.
The albums opens with “Olhar Seráfico” (Seraphic Gaze), a death n roll number with a driving melody and a hint of hardcore about it. It’s lively and edgy. “Velas Em Catarse” (Candles in Catharsis) is harsh and fast with an imposing riff and strong guitar work. It’s heavy metal, bordering on extreme. The vocalist’s hoarse delivery matches the scene of destruction that the music portrays, offset only by its melodies. There is a fluidity about it but the two songs I heard were broken up into different passages, which made them harder to follow. “Patalogia Profunda” (Deep Pathology) starts with the rapid-fire death-thrash to which I was now becoming accustomed. It settles down into moody but strident death metal before racing away once more in lively fashion. By the end figurative smoke is coming out of the guitars. “A Colónia Dos Mentirosos” (The Colony of Liars) is more measured, but at the same time dense and heavy. This time the darkness flows with the power of the music and the instrumental work. The pattern seems to be a short atmospheric introduction, followed by all hell breaking loose and rapid fire, harsh death-thrash metal with twirling guitars and moments of hardcore. That’s “Sector Parasita” (Parasitic Sector).
“Terra De Má Memória” (Land of Bad Memory) is more in-your-face thrash with technical death riffage. It is relentless, as is much of this album. The final song is “Transmissão Semântica” (Semantic Transmission). This takes a different turn. It is moody, sinister and blackly symphonic. I wondered why Besta hadn’t chosen to put this striking piece in earlier, where it would surely have made more impact. An organ section is accompanied by a sharp riff, before we return to treading the land of the dead and the unknown. It meant that we were left with an atmosphere of death and decay, which impressive as it was, seemed to take us in a different direction. It may have been a reinforcement of a final statement but I’m guessing there and couldn’t say what the statement was, as the previous six songs were out of the book of death metal melodies ad riffage without an obvious message.
It’s hard to put my finger on this album. Broadly it’s a death metal album with melody and life. The musicianship and intensity are good. Besta do mix up the style and tempo within the songs. Their energy makes them ok to get along with. There’s nothing wrong with this album, but I felt I’d heard it before and it didn’t get me jumping out of my seat and getting excited.
(6/10 Andrew Doherty)
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