Gotta love red hot little debuts like this one, the Victory Records unleashing of Within the Ruins and their CD Creature. Essentially a hardcore band at heart, this Massachusetts five-piece injects plenty of progressive metal, jazz-fusion, and even some Latin influences into their music, making Creature one seriously fun tech-core release. Some might feel that the band lacks in originality, and while that might be true (there are tons of band doing this tech-metal thing these days), the songs here are catchy, with plenty of intricate guitar & drum passages, crushing breakdowns, and effective vocal growls, plus the songs are to the point and not overindulgent. Influences from Between the Buried and Me, Misery Signals, and Bury Your Dead can be heard, but the way Within the Ruins drops in little jazz or samba passages amidst the thunder deserves some kudos. These guys can absolutely shred, as evidenced by tunes such as "Tractor Pull", "Dig a Ditch", "Arsenal", or the blitzkrieg "The Book of Books", all which feature complex riff-o-rama and blazing drum fills. Though the band does go a bit overboard on the breakdowns (they are positively monstrous at times however), there's an exuberance that comes across to the listener that lends you to believe that these guys had an absolute blast making this record, and though their sound is aggressive as hell, they probably don't take themselves all too seriously.
In the end, there's plenty of brutality, technical playing, and catchy hooks here to recommend to any modern metal fan. My guess is that Creature is just the tip of the iceberg, and we'll see even stronger stuff from Within the Ruins in the very near future.
Track Listing
01. The Book of Books
02. Arsenal
03. Dig a Ditch
04. Call Off the Wedding
05. Extinguish Them
06. Jump Ship
07. Creature
08. Tractor Pull
09. Holy Mess
10. Victory
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