Search - Beyond :: Crawl

Why has this band been forgotten?

Malone | 05/31/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the first time I've contributed a review to Amazon. Recently, I found myself wondering what happened to some of the more alternative British rock bands of the late 80's and early 90's. The first band I searched for on the web was The Beyond. I remember seeing this band several times as a teenager, when they were widely regarded as the most experimental rock band then working in the UK. They were the first thrash-influenced band I know of that made a serious attempt to incorporate sampling and techno into technical alternative hard rock. They had a completely unique sound. I remember reading a review in several music magazines touting them as the British equivalent of Faith No More ( another, albeit larger band, who seem to have all but disappeared from the collective memory ). Perhaps it was the then burgeoning arrival of imported grunge and hip-hop crossover bands such as Rage Against the Machine that did for this particular off-shoot of alternative rock. Maybe it all seems rather dated now. However, The Beyond are still well worth a listen and I would strongly recommend giving this album a chance. The drumming, in particular, is quite startling and you very rarely hear anything like it nowadays - very complex, yet subtle and engaging. The vocals might not be to everyone's liking - but the choruses are harmonically strong and the lyrics completely transcend the usual preoccupations of rock singers. The guitars are jazzy - the guitarist seems to use a wash of chorus over everything, even his distorted tone, which was rather unusual at the time and gives the sound an 'other- worldly' feel. The way the bass complements the drums is significantly different to the way most bands in the over-crowded metal scene were approaching rhythm at the time.

When I did my web search I found almost nothing about this band. It's a little sad that a band who made a real attempt to push music forward in the UK is now being overlooked. True, the band went on to tour and record other albums, but the moment was gone. For those of you who are interested in sampling a taste of what could have been, this album is full of refreshing and surprising moments. It is an album of great originality."