Beyond Salvation – Ascension – EP Review

Source // Beyond Salvation

With an attitude and vocal delivery that sits more comfortably with the works of Hatebreed and Throwdown, the music conjured by Manchester act Beyond Salvation is actually that of classic thrash. With mid-paced staccato workouts smashing head-fast into intricate speed-fests that are primed to split skulls and sever spines in the pit, these songs undoubtedly slay in the live environment!

Inspiration for Ascension surely comes from the greats of the genre as we could hear elements of prime Metallica, mid-era Kreator and the ferocity of Exodus all jostling for attention amidst a modern sounding metal act that also incorporate a hardcore punk aesthetic. Gang vocals, meaty breakdowns (think Pantera as opposed to metalcore wannabes) and crushing riffs….it’s all here, a metal-heads checklist conveniently ticked off in full.

Make no mistake, this is nasty stuff, propelled by some truly unhinged vocals. Sonically varied, there’s even a satisfying break from the chug on “Denial” when at the 1 min 25 sec mark, the band seem to tip their hat to death metal’s originators; rekindling memories of when the lines between thrash and death metal were still blurred.

Hell, there’s even room for a nostalgic acoustic intro/outro on EP highlight “Ascension”; a typically epic closer that rapidly shifts pace and bludgeons effectively. Incidentally, that’s a neat and tidy way to end this review; bludgeons effectively. 7/10