THE PLASMARIFLE

Just when I'm feeling like I can't take any more of this propagating breed of new school death/grind/core metal youngsters THE PLASMARIFLE's "While You Were Sleeping…" comes along and leaves a mighty big impression on me. Though an overused term like deathcore might apply in this case, it seems more appropriate to break it down into its central element — technical death metal — and branch out the description to include some (but not too much) of the breakdown-y elements of hardcore and a smattering of spastic grindcore. Same difference? Maybe, but the point is that THE PLASMARIFLE connects those elements together in a way that works; a way that doesn't result in a blurring of the lines to such a degree that the essence is smashed to bits. In other words, The Montreal quintet deftly strikes the balance between technical lunacy, chugging groove, and relatively arresting song structuring.

First and foremost, "While You Were Sleeping…" is a pretty darn interesting listen, thanks to the songwriting. Though hardly melodious or conventionally structured, the band somehow brings these disparate elements into cohesive wholes for the half-hour duration. There is groove, but not redundant chug; there is technicality, but not masturbatory excess; and the one constant is brutality. The vocals run the gamut from a Corpsegrinder growl to the kind of psychotic scream/shout heard from THE ROTTED. At times it sounds like the style blending acumen of a DESPISED ICON meets the ballast of a DISKREET; at other times it is hard not to think, at least fleetingly, of the early works of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.

In the simplest of terms though, THE PLASMARIFLE takes a good 'ole steel-toed boot stomping, led by precision hyper blaster Sean Connors and marries it with a wide array of super cool riffs and tricky licks from guitarists Olivier Lasalle and Ben Landreville. Initially, I was glad that I made it past the third track without being bored to tears, and then before I knew it I realized that I was enjoying every single cut. So OK, I am in no way saying that THE PLASMARIFLE should be dubbed "the new kings of new school mixer metal," but "While You Were Sleeping…" surely has a lot going for it.