Creature

Throughout my experience with Within The Ruins, I have kept coming back to two main points about them that shape my opinion of them. Firstly, it is clear that they are very good musicians, particularly the guitarists. Secondly (and more importantly), they suffer from a lack of the things that make music memorable for me; dynamics, melodies, or even a mild sense of experimentation. Although my view on them has not always been very positive, I have stuck with them for the single fact that with each album, they kept showing more promise, and while the issue of memorable songwriting remains something of an issue, these guys certainly know how to make some riffs of stunning technicality. 'Creature' is the first full-length that Within The Ruins has done, and without a doubt, it is a significant step above anything they have had to offer on any of their EPs. Many of my issues with the band are still here largely, but they are beginning to counter their weaknesses head on with their fierce approach.

Although Within The Ruins is generally labelled as a deathcore, or metalcore band (labels I have used to describe them in the past), I find that they have strayed from these styles with 'Creature'. True, there are still a fair share of thrashy verses, gang vocals, and- yes- the dreaded breakdowns, but much of 'Creature' shows Within The Ruins blistering away on parts that make them sound closer to tech death than anything. The music throws new ideas at the listener with unrelenting speed, and by the end of the album, one is bound to feel exhausted. There are no longer any aspects of the music which outright annoy me; even the chugging breakdowns are never dwelled on long enough to start derailing the flow that these songs have.

While all of these guitar riffs are complex and indicative of an obvious tightness that the band has formed with each other, it cannot shake the fact that Within The Ruins does not do anything here that would not already be expected of them and their style. There has been that much appreciated move away from their root sound, but I still get this feeling that the music played on 'Creature' is largely technical metal-by-numbers. There are a few fleeting moments, such as the Spanish acoustic build on 'Jump Ship' that break away from this, but the technical metal itself never breaks down any walls, and suffers from a very feeling. The hardcore shouting vocals are also a tad undesirable, although that's more a matter of personal taste than anything else.

Within The Ruins is a very talented band, and up until now, they have continued to improve. However, I can only hope that they will be able to add a new dimension to their sound in the future; this dry, modern approach to technical metal is still doing very little for me.

Review Originally Published at http://www.teethofthedivine.com by Erik Thomas

It’s been a while since I heard anything remotely metal from Victory Records, but all of a sudden they release a slew of records in the form of Arise and Ruin’s improved thrash attack, Corpus Christi’s As I Lay Dying impression, Wretched’s impressive The Black Dahlia Murder worship and this fine melodic death core assault from Massachusetts’ Within the Ruins.

2009 looks to be the year of the shred as releases by Woe of Tyrants, Malefice, A Plea For Purging, Conducting From the Grave, Wretched and this debut already this year. And if you like those releases as well as last years Rareform from After the Burial or Fate’s Vultures, you should go ahead and check this out; techy, choppy deathcore/metalcore that’s layered with what’s essentially one long arpeggio in the form of some superb melodic guitar work over the pretty standard deathcore/pseudo death metal.

While the base of Creature is pretty run of the mill as far as short haired and /or bearded baseball hat wearing kids playing death metal goes, the fact is Joe Cocchi and Klye Marcoux are seriously skilled and the end result is an album that gives some welcome melody and harmony to the often breakdown dominated genre. Now don’t get me wrong, there are breakdowns (”Arsenal”, “Extinguish Them”, “Creature”, “Holy Mess”), plenty of them, but they aren’t pure Rose Funeral or Oceano styled heft, but more shoulder bobbing, tempered and choppy lurches.

Not quite as techy or complex as the recent Burning the Masses or The Faceless (though in the ball park) or over the top as With Passion, Within the Ruins are still pretty busy, but the guitar work is way more focused on solos, or riffs that sound like solos as heard on “Dig a Ditch”, “Call off the Wedding”, “Tractor Pull”" and “Holy Mess”. It’s often close to sheer noddling for noodling sake, but never quite get there, instead the tracks are confidently and ambitiously structured, if a bit samey by the time closer “Victory” rolls by, which is a shame as its similar to the title track from Fate’s Vulture’s-a gorgeously melodic, galloping instrumental track.

Creature is not going to convert grizzled death metal fans to either the genre, Within the Ruins or Victory Records, but if you’ve been reading my reviews long enough to identify with some of my tastes, go ahead and check this out-I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s the best of Victory’s February releases and a debut from a band with no other ties to any other bands, just a fresh energy and sense of melody.

Now about the amount of pink in that artwork/logo….?