Album Review: Belarus Beaver – Symphony of Fallen Trees (Beavergrind)

Written by Barlovv

“Our relationship with the beaver is… well, it’s complicated”

First, I must declare some ignorance here, I naturally assumed this beavergrind band was Canadian, but they are not, they are Swedish, and apparently there is quite a large beaver population there. So, there’s some of my Canadian beaver exceptionalism / privilege on display, and I apologize to the nation of Sweden. Second, the fact that only three people own this album on Bandcamp is a shock and a deep crime against this band of beavers, so fix it.

So, just what the fuck is Belarus Beaver then? They are a beavergrind band from Sweden with perhaps the funniest album name I’ve heard this year. I truly don’t know how it can be topped, so lets call this “funniest album title of the year” and move on. The album was released the same day as the absolutely transcendent God’s Country from Chat Pile and I have to assume that is the only reason that this isn’t the album we’re all talking about right now.

The album itself is an absolute grinding beast of a thing, detailing a violent beaver uprising and – I think – the production of a beaver-themed B movie. While I found some of the skits of the film director demanding a beaver-rape scene a bit … cringe … I do understand what tone the album is going for and that it’s a staple of B trash/sleaze films and also of the more violent grindcore genre as a whole so I am prepared to take that in stride, but I think it’s worth mentioning in case that’s a complete non starter for people. The skits aren’t graphic or explicit or anything, just stupid. I think of it like what it probably sounded like during production meetings for Basketcase.

The songs themselves are brutal and heavy and more than once made me laugh. There is a consistent ferocity that I enjoyed and was surprised at how long the album was. Sixteen tracks across 35 minutes feels like an eternity when compared to a lot of other grindcore music that I have come across, which would cram twice as many songs into that timeline. That said, the album never actually feels overlong, and I guess my criticism is moot because it’s not grindcore, it’s beavergrind.

The Bottom Line

Look, the album is a beaver-themed grind album and I had an actual blast listening to it. Given the genre it feels weird to call this “light” but honestly. The world is such a fucking shit-show right now, and existential crisis are a frequent as we all stare down the end of the earth. So, a goofy, heavy album about beavers eating bones is kind of the exact balm that I needed. Your mileage may vary, but it’s going to be in my end of the year list almost certainly.