So here is a 9 song, 23 minute EP or short LP from France’s Years of Tyrants, and one thing is incredibly clear, these guys really like Beneath the Massacre. So much so, that when a track started playing, I had a hard time telling who they were seeing as I still have Beneath the Massacre‘s Incongruous on my Ipod.

So depending on where you stand with Beneath the Massacre‘s shrill blasting vortex will determine how you feel about Years of Tyrants. They possess the same utterly ridiculous speed and technical chops, especially drummer Benoit Peichert, who is as fast and as skilled as anyone in the genre right now. At times, these guys make Origin look like Evoken. So of course, there isn’t much as far as memorability or catchiness, but that is more than made up for in deft shreddage and over the top brutality.

With the album’s 23 minute length though, it never overstays its welcome, and there is even a short breather by way of the short piano interlude “Leading the Blind”. But other than that, expect a sheer assault of typically techy, noodly blasting. It’s not nearly as playful as Gorod or melodic as Decrepit Birth or even Origin, though it does feature lots of hyper-speed sweeps, but trust me, not kidding when I say it sounds like Beneath the Massacre. A few short live breakdowns are sparsely littered within the chaos, such as opener “Stronger than All”, “Infestation of Larvae”, standout closer “This is Meat”, or “Interlude” but for the most part it’s full on triple bass, sweep-filled squealing and blasting with occasional lurches like “Euthanasia” or “Through Infamy”, which even has a touch of melody.

These guys, like their peers, will be plagued by the “great musicians – can’t write songs” crowd, but for what it is, Leading the Blind is actually a pretty fine example of this kind of extremity and I’d be curious to see if they can keep my attention for a longer release.

[Visit the band's website]

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