Neuraxis

Extreme metal in Quebec dates back to at least Voivod in the mid '80s. So, given the unfathomable mathematical intricacies of much of Voivod's music, it should be no great wonder that Neuraxis -- one of the leading death-metal bands now based in Montreal -- are acclaimed as much for the complex and melodic nature of their noise as for their sheer brutality. Formed in 1994, they've since run through nearly as many lineup changes as time signatures -- which is to say, quite a few. In fact, the current roster (Rob Milley and William Seghers on guitar, Olivier Pinard on bass, Olivier Beaudoin on drums, Alex Leblanc grumbling up front) shares exactly zero musicians with the lineup the band started out with (guitarists Steven Henry and Felipe Angel Quinzanos, bassist Yan Thiel, drummer Mathieu Royale, vocalist Maynard Moore). Yet they've managed to release six studio albums, plus a live set and a couple early demos, and they show no signs of surrender. In fact, the conventional wisdom seems to be that they've only grown less fancy, more focused with their violent attack mechanisms, over time.