Massacre in A-minor

Perched on the ridge between being modern death metal and something a little more ‘core, the boldest thing I would care to say about Barbarous is that they have no shortage of groove. Much of this debut album seems generic yet well-done, so saying anything more would only lead to hyperbole. The Chinese three-piece can’t quite lay claim to such pretensions as suggested by the title Massacre in A-Minor, though enough deathly action goes on here to constitute a few murders in drop-A.

The rubbery guitar and hulking bass tone form the brunt of the attacks during this 40 minute onslaught. The tone, as suggested (but not measured exactly) by my reference to drop-A tuning is deep and thick, coming on like a rhino at the aggressive mid-pace that makes up the majority of the listen. The drums don’t possess the sharpness to cut through the sonic sludge; not to say that the performance is backgrounded - not with diverse fills and some carefully selected blasts - but the guitars take enough responsibility for the rhythms that the percussionist doesn’t need to. The vocals predictably resemble a hoarse, throaty roar, though also add to the busy feel of the music, rarely pausing for breath during verses. As for the final feature, the leads form a welcome presence among the thick, repetitive grooves, wheeling out with more skill and a better tone than would be imagined from such a modern-sounding album.

Song by song, Massacre in A-Minor fails to offer any truly superior experiences, largely because the pieces seem uniform in their approach, some of the rhythms turning up again and again, as if Barbarous had purchased them wholesale from Hatesphere or Dew-Scented or any other band that once mixed death with a few tricks from thrash and then never changed the formula. In this style, the title track does a good job, as does opener ‘Pure Human, Pure Madness’, while gradually shortening song lengths help the album as it nears its conclusion. The only exception to the slightly monotonous formula is the instrumental 'Forest of Murder', which dispenses with groove and heaviness for a lurking atmospheric trip amidst which some creative lead guitar stands out. Seeing that Barbarous were able to make that quite intriguing without pouring too many ideas into the composition, I must admit myself a bit disappointed by the samey quality elsewhere. Massacre in A-Minor doesn't display incompetence or lack of focus: it's just that the album as a whole is a tad boring.