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Summer Dying > Beyond the Darkness Within > Reviews
Summer Dying - Beyond the Darkness Within

A Respectable Slab of Melodic Death - 62%

deluge71, November 4th, 2008

Michigan-based Summer Dying originally formed in 2001, and quickly assembled an impressive track record that included opening slots for such big-name acts as Witchery, Cannibal Corpse, The Haunted, and Dimmu Borgir. The preceding list of bands might lead one to make assumptions about this quintet's approach to music, but I would advise against it. Summer Dying exudes a style that rests somewhere between the "second wave" of Swedish death metal, and the gothic-doom leanings of Anathema or Katatonia. Just to be fair, I'll mention here that my affinity for bands of the former type doesn't extend to those of the latter. However, Summer Dying seems to have a slight preference for the likes of In Flames and At The Gates, so to my ears, they were a welcome addition to the scene.

Looking first at the production on this disc, I initially had some misgivings. While the mix is nicely balanced, there is a tendency for the lower frequencies to distort easily. I guess lowering the volume might help, but as any self-respecting metal fan knows, this is only to be done as a last resort! While this inadvertent glitch is a bit annoying at times, it really doesn't detract from the overall listening experience.

The next item for consideration is the song writing. The members of Summer Dying possessed this skill in abundance, which is a good thing considering that none of their songs ran under 6 minutes in length. Each track on "Beyond The Darkness Within" shows a natural flow of well-constructed melodies, tight harmonic interplay, and definitive mood swings that honor the band's predecessors while simultaneously taking off in a new direction. The second and third tracks ("Final Day" and "Tears Of The Fallen") are ideal examples, as both display compelling harmonies and beautiful interludes. It is here that I took particular notice of guitarists Tony Oliver and Tim Lydon, who complement each other in a manner that resembles the six-string banter between Adrian Smith and Dave Murray during Iron Maiden's vintage years. Even so, Oliver and Lydon execute their solos with a sense of confidence and maturity that speaks highly of their talent. While I'm giving props to the musicianship on this release, I also want to draw attention to bassist Bobby Bryant, whose melodic sensibility and technical flair combine to create a sound that seduces just as easily as it intimidates.

I debated with myself regarding whether or not I should even bring this up, but I have one more complaint, which really pertains more to my subjective tastes than anything else. Vocalist Kerry Cripe turns in an excellent performance for this album, and his wide-ranging delivery (which includes both standard death vox and well-articulated "clean" singing) is well matched with the band's intense musical output. However, I'm not very keen on some of the aforementioned "clean" sections. It's not that they necessarily sound bad, but they bear too much similarity to Dark Tranquillity's "Haven" album for my personal comfort.

Despite its few drawbacks, fans of melodic death metal will find "Beyond The Darkness Within" an emotionally-moving foray into a realm where the genre's more cliched trappings are uprooted and replaced with talent, devotion, and integrity.