Invade

It is very important to remember that in order to solve a problem related to mathcore that one uses their all purpose pocket Cocchi-tator. It keeps things fresh and provides creative and original new melodic takes on a very technical style. All puns aside, Within the Ruins does a fantastic job on this album of providing an intensely technical yet melodic deathcore album, a feat not easy to pull off. It also introduced me to the rather small subgenre of mathcore. The band also treads in dangerous territory, as it ventures towards the realm of Necrophagist; a dangerous place to be indeed.

However, Within the Ruins does not suffer much from the disease that afflicts Necrophagist with their impressive technicality matched by an impressive lack of songwriting ability. The songs here are varied; the only consistency between the songs is the use of breakdowns and high pitched guitar leads. Things are also mixed up with guest vocals (from the wonderful voice that provides for the Red Chord) on Oath, as well as instrumental songs.

The breakdowns vary in effectiveness on this album, and the superior songs on this album are notable mostly due to the brutality of these breakdowns, i.e. Red Flagged and Roads. They are your typical breakdowns for the most part, relying mainly on difficult rhythms within the same note, but the double bass pedal work is phenomenal in these sections. However, many breakdowns fall flat in songs like Behold the Harlot and Versus.

The main focus of Within the Ruins is only technical yet melodic guitar riffing, most apparent on the title track, Red Flagged, and most so on the instrumental songs. The notes are not very easy to tell apart between songs, but they are varied to a huge degree, so this is a very nit-picky flaw that might have more to do with the distortion rather than the actual riffs. Meh. Many riffs are packed into a song, but not overdone, which is a balance that I’ve come to see as very easy to achieve, but at the same time can ruin an album if it ignored. Crap, accidental learning. Moving on then.

The drumming matches the technicality of the guitars, and I am very appreciative. The time signatures vary from the systematic to the irregular, and the drums do an exceedingly well job of driving a song, but also do well to slow things down and bring the numerous breakdowns to their full headbanging potential, something rare on a deathcore record. They are also nicely in sync with the guitars as spacing between notes is also devoid of drum beats, which adds another layer of brutality and technicality.

The guitar leads are quite something on this album. On songs like Crossbuster, The Carouser, Versus, and Ataxia, the leads take over the song and I am quite okay with that. The riffs take on a much more melodic side, and we are also treated throughout the album with guitar solos, like in the beginning of Red Flagged and Invade. Feast of Famine also features some interesting tidbits of lightning fast riffs that precede the brutal breakdown. Admittedly, though, the guitar leads do become a bit repetitive after you listen through the whole album through, and that is a bit tragic considering all the work they put into them. Another large flaw is the lack of any substantial bass in the mix; even with whatever listening device I’m using with all the bass turned up I barely get anything that I can even critique except for the lack thereof.

Another weak point of this album is the intros. Designing Oblivion is all right, but most of the songs start by just getting right down into it, which kind of annoys me. It actually annoys me a lot, because a good intro can make the rest of the song seem better than it actually is. A few try to use some thundering drums to start you off and others still begin with guitar distortion that quickly leads into the regular tone so it barely seems like in an intro. That’s my number one complaint on this album.

Now to the opposite end of the spectrum. What I loved most about this album were the instrumentals, which shows off the technical and melody of the band members the best. There are only two, Ataxia and Roads, and these are pretty much the best songs on the album. Ataxia is based around intertwining leads and a brutal rhythm guitar, and features tons of technical riffs that are pretty much mini guitar solos for a guitarist other than the fantastic Joe Cocchi. Ataxia is a pretty nice break in the middle of the album, but it is nothing, and I mean NOTHING next to ROADS, ONE OF THE BEST INSTRUMENTALS EVER.

I’ll tone it down with the caps lock for this next part, but this songs deserves its own section. The song features pounding drums in the beginning with a handful of sections of audible bass. And the riffs are tremolo and trill picked; an impressive feat in my amateur opinion. A number of times the guitar comes in lightly in the background to provide interesting texture, and the riffs executed throughout the song are eclectic and varied to say the least. Then, once the solo escalates, the best breakdown on the album begins, and another insane solo finishes off the FIRST half of this song.

As the solo fades, we enter a trance-like state of poorly put together ambient, but even that doesn’t spoil what you are going to hear next. Just as the adrenaline leaves your body as you think the album is over, you quickly realize what a mistake that was. As the first notes of an epic mathcore/power metal (yes, power metal riff) grace your ears, you crap your pants in amazement, the first of many times in the next two minutes. Choruses in the background only add to the sense of magnificence, and the drums play slowly adding elements of doom to symphonic and power metals. The riff escalates into a massive power house and the drums enter the melee full force and you are greeted with a massive eargasm that bids you farewell as soon as it arrived. This is simply some of the most original musicianship I have ever heard, and I’m sure it will persist in my memory well past this first month of hearing it in complete length. My words of reverence try but fail miserably to describe how amazing it is.

The last thing to discuss now is the vocals. The vocalist for Within the Ruins does a phenomenal job, displaying an incredible range and juxtaposing his vocals on songs like Behold the Harlot and Crossbuster. He has a knack for creating catchy vocal hooks, like on The Carouser where he just lets it all out in a fading scream with repeated lyrics that loosely form a chorus. This album also features a number of shout sections, namely on Feast or Famine and Red Flagged. These phrases embody very much what they are intended to do; get you into the music and shouting along. These are the most headbanger friendly parts, although the album as a whole is unlike many other deathcore albums. The guest vocals on Oath are incredible, literally knocking me out of my chair with their unbelievable brutality and enunciation. This is a high point on the album, being fit only to be described as BR00TAL.

The lyrics on Invade are simply all right. They fail to truly stimulate any thought, but are not painfully terrible. They are just there. The vocalist put some degree of thought into it, but these appear weaker on some songs (Oath and Feast or Famine) than others (Red Flagged and Invade). The band also ventures into some anti-religious territory, and for the most part, I can deal with it. Versus annoys me very much as it just thrashes God in an entirely irrational and offensive way. I can enjoy Crossbuster because the lyrics express their sentiment in a rational argument that tackles the issue in a way that is reasonable and tries to see the other side and is semi-considerate.

Within the Ruins also does a good job of avoiding the pitfalls that plague bands of this nature. The non-existent songwriting of Necrophagist is not even a possible comparison, nor is the overkill breakdowns that you see in bands like the Acacia Strain and Veil of Maya. Even the guest vocals are tasteful as they are not overused. The vocalist also avoids the monotone delivery of those of Attila and I Declare War.

Overall, I would highly recommend this album to all metalheads. It contains the complexity of tech death bands while utilizing the breakdowns of American metal. Instrumentals are present, and the lyrics vary from uplifting to the issue of religion. Intense speed is also heard throughout, as well as spiraling solos. Simply a good buy if you see it, but not the best thing ever due to some repetitive sections and slightly boring drumming. Best songs: Red Flagged, Invade, Ataxia, and ROADS.