Within The Ruins were keen to distance themselves from the oft-maligned deathcore genre with the release of 2014 EP Phenomena, preferring to explore sonic textures and showmanship over mere complacency. The four-piece have rewritten their own rulebook with Halfway Human and crafted a feverishly raw sound that defies simple categorisation.
There are moments that will tick a box or three for tech enthusiasts, not least the fiery Born Of Osiris-esque grooves of Ivory Tower and the jarring riffs surging from djent-tinged current single Beautiful Agony. Opener Shape-Shifter sets the tone with epic guitar leads and pummelling drums offset by melodic bursts, while the anti- establishment tirade of Death Of The Rockstar seethes with bitterness. Frenetic time signatures and blastbeats akin to melodeath surface amid slower passages, but it’s Tim Goergen’s abrasive roars and an emotive presence from bassist/clean vocalist Paolo Galang that grab you in a sonic headlock. A satisfying, face- melting affair.
