Mutiny Within

After releasing their striking eponymous debut in 2010, Mutiny Within were subsequently driven to disbandment by drastically lower than expected sales. Oddly enough, this wasn't due to a lack of musical proficiency but, rather confusingly, seemingly because of it; vocalist Chris Clancy maintains that the album was downloaded illegaly around ten times as often for every copy sold, making it impossible for the band to continue. Whether or not you agree with his diagnosis--or the subsequent creation of his anti-piracy movement, Industry Embers--it's safe to say that we're happy to have them back, and their sophomore album, 2013's Mutiny Within II: Synchronicity picks up right where they left off.

Mutiny Within have established a unique sound--and I don't mean that to be deceptively derogatory. The band blend death metal, progressive metal, and metalcore into a surprisingly lucid whole (and that coming from someone who normally categorically rejects -core bands), writing short, tightly packed slices of frantic, high-enegry metal. If you haven't heard them before, you should expect tons of anthemic, uplifting choruses with soaring, melodic vocals to frame them, all backed up by the most disconcertinly intense machine gun drumming. Seriously, I don't know what drummer Bill Fore is on, but he seems eager to pack as many sixteenth (and what I suspect are occasionally thirty-second) notes as he can into every inch of this album; he busts out his incredibly fast foot chops for fills anywhere and everywhere, even if it doesn't make much in the way of musical sense. It truly is a different aural experience.

The opener and shortest track "Embers" is definitely one of the strongest pieces on the album, packing all of the intensity and catchiness you'd expect from a Mutiny Within song into just under three minutes. "Machines" is another one of the most solid tracks on the album, featuring the band at their highest growl and blast beat fueled brutality. There are also some incredibly sick guitar moments scattered throughout the album, like riff on the into to "In My Veins", or the teasingly short solo on "Falls to Pieces". Needless to say, any listener will find a lot to enjoy here.

Admittedly, it's nothing really new--Synchronicity doesn't exactly push Mutiny Within far beyond the limits they established with their debut. In addition, clocking in just shy of fifty minutes, the album can seem to drag on at times, mostly due to the shorter composition style of the band. But even with that said, it's still a solid release that holds up favourably to their debut; whether or not it's actually stronger will be a matter of taste. I definitely suggest giving this one a listen.

Recommended if you like: Between the Buried and Me, Scar Symmetry, Aeon Zen

7.0 / 10 — Sarah