Extended Mental Dimensions

Within Y

Candlelight Records, 2004

REVIEW BY: Paul Hanson

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 10/22/2004

Within Y took me by surprise. Judging by the CD cover, I was expecting Within Y to be a progressive metal band like Zero Hour or Reading Zero -- a band that would awe me with their collective vision of how to make music that changed time signatures on a whim or perhaps offered a deeper analysis of the world than, say, Papa Roach or Linkin Park. Their CD cover, with a house on a skinny piece of land, a mysterious house, a young girl blindfolded -- all features of what I think of when I think of "modern day progressive metal band CD cover."

And despite what I thought I was getting myself into is quickly shattered. Begining with a scream Phil Anselmo (Pantera) would like, Within Y are a death metal band, closer to the inspiration musicality of Spiritual Eclipse or Detachment than the aforementioned Zero Hour or Reading Zero.

I think that is what made Within Y a refreshing listen. Sure, the lyrics are frequently screamed or exhumed with the clarity of a mud cake, but the intensity is there. Drummer Thim Blom is fast, pounding his drums into oblivion. Guitarists Nikke Almen and Mikael Nordin show interesting songwriting skills, especially when the band launches into the aggressive "Injection." Vocalist Andreas Solveström is extremely vicious when he sings, "Fall down to gain perspective, to see the light / Severe, drained observations, confidential world of lies / as this bitter sweet injection / view the world through the self-destructive eye / as a weaker state of mind, protected by pale reflections / depart this fragile human life." Maybe I wasn't so far off with the Zero band comparisons? Musically, at the 2:42 mark, the band shifts into a more straight-forward groove that allows the guitar solo to be melodic and interesting. It is not about playing super fast or a bunch of notes in a single breath -- in this song, it is about playing a guitar melody.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Anotehr standout track is "Behold." On top of an interesting guitar riff, Solveström is on-target when he sings, "You want me to ease your suffering/ Why can't you gather your thoughts and/ Blame no one." Gather your thoughts, gather your feelings and blame no one else but yourself. In our society of "it's their fault, not mine, for <whatever>" it is refeshing to hear this perspective. Don't blame me or anyone else for your problems -- choice is yours so do what you can with it.

"Silently Leaving" continues the momentum of "Behold" when Solveström sings, "This world of confusion suffocates our greatest dreams/ Feeding the disease, silently leaving, this behind, searching, the twoers, for the colours of the world feeding the disease, silently leaving this behind." Blom catches the changes of the guitar riffs with precision, adding a color to the music that is appealing. At the 2:24 mark, the band shifts into an acoustic guitar melody played over Blom's interesting drum pattern.

Overall, I think Within Y is an excellent band. They are a death metal band so there are characteristics of the genre: Blom plays a lot of double bass. Almen and Nordin play fast riffs at times, and, if I hadn't been listening to death metal for the last few years, Solveström would sound like a fool Instead, he sounds aggressive and pulls the band's vision of the world into a brutal 44:00 minute assault. I hope Within Y finds themselves on a worldwide tour, opening for someone like Morbid Angel or another reputable death metal tour where the audiences the band sees on a nightly basis would be introduced to the band's power. According to the counter on the official site, just over 8500 visitors have discovered this band. Here's hoping you check them out.

Rating: B+

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2004 Paul Hanson and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Candlelight Records, and is used for informational purposes only.