WITHIN DESTRUCTION

Slovenian metal band WITHIN DESTRUCTION have evolved since forming 15 years ago, and their sound has changed from deathcore to a more nu-metal and metalcore style. That doesn't mean they've gotten soft. WITHIN DESTRUCTION are still known for their death metal riffing, blast beats and heavy breakdowns. Their music is not for the faint at heart.

On their latest album, "ANIMETAL", out via Sumerian Records, the band continues with their unique blend of heavy sounds, coming off as a fresh and novel version of metalcore.

"ANIMETAL" sets off with the album's raging title track. Between sharp, broadening guitars and Rok Rupnik's death metal growls, WITHIN DESTRUCTION makes a statement with "ANIMETAL". While the chorus is clean and the breakdown is filled with electronics, most of the track turns away from the band's latest trend of nu-metal and instead recalls some of their early material.

That mix of death metal growls, clean choruses, dark electronics and brutally heavy riffing continues throughout the album. If fans were worried about WITHIN DESTRUCTION ever becoming too mainstream, don't, because there aren't too many radio-ready tracks on this set. That's a good thing; it shows that WITHIN DESTRUCTION are creating the kind of music they want to create and not catering to what they think the masses want.

"BITTER EMBARCE" features some lo-fi crackling in the beginning, as Rupnik menacingly whispers to a foe that he wants them to spare him "all the lies" and that he can see through, to their real self. "CYBERGIRL" is perhaps the most commercial-sounding song on the set and could fit alongside bands such as BAD OMENS and BRING ME THE HORIZON on any radio playlist. The song features some ethereal, distant vocals alongside Rupnik's bloody screaming. The chorus is huge and warm, with the vocalist singing about a cyber girl living in a digital world.

As the album progresses, it maintains the formula of brutally heavy verses paired with melodic, soaring choruses. An outlier is "A LOVE THAT SLOWLY DIED", the closing track on the album, an emotive ballad that pairs Rupnik's melodic vocals with heavy effects, as he sings about running from his pain.

"ANIMETAL" is a stunning collection of songs, and it's never lets up, from start to finish. Hopefully the band will continue to mesh genres and create new sounds, and if so, they'll influence a new generation as they do it.