Within The Ruins - Elite (2013)


INFO:

Within The Ruins have always been one of the true gems in the overcrowded world of the "core" genre, and with this record they definitely took a step forward in their musical growth. "Elite" is the follow-up to their critically praised 2010 record "Invade", which already was a pretty big statement with a fresh and innovative sound. In "Elite" you can still find their signature sound, but you can feel it has evolved. At the base guitarist Joe Cocchi brings in his new signature Acacia baritone guitar, which has a thicker and "fatter" sound already. The new bass player Andrew Tate (ex-And Hell Followed With) is at his first WTR record, and he delivers a solid rhythmic performance as well. The thing that stands out the most though is still Cocchi's guitar work, with groovy riffs, fast licks, lots of harmonies and some well put breakdowns. His riffs are, if possible, even more technical and fast, and overall more compact than in their previous material. I'd say you can tell he had organic ideas for complete songs rather than single riffs, being the only guitar player now in the band. So in the end the WTR sound is still there, but with a new twist and some new interesting ideas that help to keep it interesting and never boring, which is not an easy task when Deathcore/Metalcore is the most "a la mode" genre out there. Highest points to me are first single "Feeding Frenzy", "Ataxia II", "The Charm" and "Weightless".

One of the major standout tracks on the album is “Ataxia II”, and what makes that almost outlandish is the fact that it’s an instrumental song. As obligatory as they are from each album put out by a metal band, the song has a very unique sound about it. The layers upon layers of well-placed fretwork are what make the song memorable and something to marvel over. Considering the fact that the band only has one sole guitarist, what’s really showcased through the song is axe-man Joe Cocchi’s musicianship. This is later displayed through the inclusion of acoustic guitars for half a minute in the middle of the album’s closing track, “Dreamland”.

The bottom-line is that in spite of the fact that Elite sounds not too different from other music in the deathcore/metalcore scene, the album as a whole is held together with nothing but consistency, intricate songwriting, slight experimentation, and most importantly: passion. If there’s one deathcore album to listen to in the early quarter of 2013,

TRACKLIST:

1. Terminal (1:09)
2. Solice (3:00)
3. Feeding Frenzy (3:43)
4. New Holy War (3:44)
5. The Charm (3:28)
6. Ataxia II (5:11)
7. Elite (3:31)
8. I, Blashpheme (3:50)
9. Absolute Hell (3:44)
10. Weightless (3:27)
11. Dreamland (4:41)
Total Runtime 39:32

Genre: Core
Subgenre: Progressive / Technical Deathcore / Metalcore
Bitrate: 320 k
Size: 102.90 MB

Credit Goes To Omeiht Of Rockbox