Genre: Melodic/Technical Death Metal/Metalcore
Label: eOne/Good Fight
Date of Release: February 26, 2013
EPIC TECH-DEATHCORE
Within
The Ruins is a group that is truly emerging from the metal scene as one of the greatest
titans in modern technical metal, gathering a generally large following and
releasing a decent stack of records. This legacy all started in 2003 from
Westfield, Massachusetts, when the band first released two EPs, “Driven in
Fear” in 2006 and “Empires” in 2008. Afterwards, label powerhouse Victory
Records got the band a deal, and subsequently, the group released their debut
full-length “Creature” in 2009, which became a relatively big hit almost immediately,
and showed that Within The Ruins is a heavy and technical band that should not
be taken lightly. The band then released their second full-length “Invade” in
2010 and their third EP “Omen” in 2011, both being great releases that truly
expand from the group’s earlier potential. The quartet later departed from
Victory Records to join the roster of eOne Music and Good Fight Entertainment,
which were well-renowned for having bands such as The Contortionist, The
Chariot, and High On Fire under their wings. This is where the band’s third
full-length release from 2013, “Elite,” comes in. Hence the album’s title, Within
The Ruins makes their return to demonstrate the peak of their technical
metalcore onslaught.
Prompt
to the previous works this band has had to offer, the musicianship, for the
most part, has seen a little modification. The only field of musicianship that
has not underwent much change would be the vocals, which consist of deep growls
and throaty roars that are done very decently, demonstrating a nice teeming of
aggressive energy. However, in regards to the instrumentation, or more
specifically, the guitars and the drums, there is a tad yet rather notable
difference in sound between “Elite” and the preceding records in the band’s
collection. Unlike before, both the guitar and drum work are more solidly
played out, and do not showcase a strong sense of fierce technicality as
before. The guitars focus much more on the melodies and licks as opposed to jumping
and reflecting on and off the walls with extreme complexity, while the drums
are more concentrated on rapid-fire and robust play instead of running wild with
utter technicality, if not flat-out spastic passages. This is an intriguing
step for the band to take, because this generates some breathing room for the music
overall, allowing room for some atmosphere for easier intake. Although “Invade”
was a great specimen of solid-steel technical metal, the main problem with it
was that it was somewhat claustrophobic and overly complex at times.
Thankfully, this issue has clearly been ironed out in “Elite,” and the end
result is a more concentrated instrumentation that still does bear its fair
share of complexity while withholding its solidity.
Although
the overall sound of “Elite” is very similar to its predecessors, and thus will
not frighten off any loyal fans, Within The Ruins seems to be tilting the scale
towards more melody and shedding off a little weight on the technicality. Like
the musicianship, the band’s metallic onslaught is a lot more focused and
compact, as opposed to the band’s older releases, where both technicality and
feral melodies were equally used. While there is still plenty of complexity to
be heard, it is more dense and focal on the melodies than before, clearing the
way for some more potent melody. Because of the band’s more structured approach
in this album, each song demonstrates great flow and transition, and nothing
sounds clunky. The production, done by guitarist Joe Cocchi, also helps in “Elite”
delivering its effect, letting every single element of the musicianship act as
a force on its own and generating a very bold sound. However, that being said, there
is still that one issue that has haunted the group’s other releases over the
past few years: There is an unfortunate surplus of instances where the melodies
in between tracks sound too similar for their own good. This is a rather
cumbersome flaw, because this makes the album lose a little steam through even
the first listen. Thankfully, though, since the melodies are generally
gripping, the album does manage to keep the listeners engaged in its
destructively sonic fabric. “Elite” sees a change for Within The Ruins in which
melody takes more dominance than their traditional technicality, and, for the
most part, it proves that the band is heading in a good direction.
However,
even with all this leaning towards melody, that doesn’t necessarily indicate
that “Elite” is not without its metallic brutality. The tracks are all packed
with heavy breakdowns and punchy riffs to provide as a framework for the
technicality and melody described earlier, providing not only something to
really bang listeners’ own heads to, but also the steak for all the sizzle. In
other words, “Elite” is not just a somewhat tediously crazed fusion of melody
and complexity; instead, the brutality gives the album a base to build upon the
icing of the cake. Both sides integrate rather seamlessly, and this makes way
for a well-balanced and well-rounded sound. Sadly, this aspect also does suffer
from the same shortcoming as the melodies described earlier, what with some
breakdowns and brutal riffs being far too congruent throughout the album. Despite
that flaw, though, the heavier side that this record has to display does work
well in the band’s favor.
When
it comes to Within The Ruins’ collection as a whole, “Elite” is a nice
follow-up to its antecedents. It’s a great demonstration of a modern metal band
stepping away from an incredibly technical sound to a more focused and compact
direction. The musicianship, particularly the guitar and drum play, is a lot
more solidly performed, as well as the overall sound of the music itself. As
stated earlier, the band is sort of steering away from their usual wildly
complex sound in order to make some room for a more melodic sound, and thus allowing
the music some breathing room and for its passages to deliver their own effects
without becoming claustrophobic, like in the band’s older releases. The brutal
and heavier side of “Elite” also plays to the record’s advantage, not only
being packed with much energy and potency, but also serving as a solid basis
for the melodies and technicality to be constructed upon. There still lies the
problem, however, that the album holds a bad tendency of sounding repetitive
and somewhat stale in between songs, but overall, that doesn’t necessarily stop
the album from being an enjoyable one. Loyal fans will certainly not be
disappointed, and will want to get their hands on this record when they get the
chance. As for the newcomers, those in search of melodic, technical, and bold death
metal and hardcore should give this album a listen. An enjoyable fusion of
melodic and technical metal with brutal deathcore, “Elite” has revealed an
interesting, new step for an iconic modern metal band’s career.
Score: 7.5/10 (Solid+)