CoC : Within - Bliss : Review

Within - _Bliss_
by: Brian Meloon (4 out of 5)

Within are from Rochester, NY, and like their contemporaries Windbreed, play a style that can be described roughly as a more death metal version of Lethargy (see review in CoC #4 or #14). They seem to have fused the semi-melodic death metal style of their previous demo, _The Unaccepted_ (see review in CoC #7), with the quirky death/thrash of Lethargy, which I think is a change for the better. Their sound is more diverse than either Lethargy or their previous work, as it incorporates many acoustic/clean sections and a lot of slow parts as well. While this is a good thing from a variety perspective, the slow parts tend to drag on, making it boring at times. When the songs speed up, they sound fine though; they're (semi-technical) death metal with excellent production, and an especially clear bass tone. The playing isn't quite as tight as it could be, but it's still very good. The songs are usually short (seven tracks fill up about 25 minutes), but the structures avoid standard form. The singer is typical death metal style, actually sounding a lot like the guy from Crematory at one part. I enjoy this tape a lot, and I hope these guys get signed in the near future. In a head-to-head competition, I'd rank these guys above Human Remains (see review this issue), because of their more impressive control and diversity.

Contact: WITHIN, 56 Durand Blvd, Rochester, NY, 14622, USA

(article published 18/11/1996)

DEMOS
2/9/1996	B Meloon		Within - The Unaccepted