It’s been a while since I heard anything remotely metal from Victory Records, but all of a sudden they release a slew of records in the form of Arise and Ruin’s improved thrash attack, Corpus Christi’s As I Lay Dying impression, Wretched’s impressive The Black Dahlia Murder worship and this fine melodic death core assault from Massachusetts’ Within the Ruins.

2009 looks to be the year of the shred as releases by Woe of Tyrants, Malefice, A Plea For Purging, Conducting From the Grave, Wretched and this debut already this year. And if you like those releases as well as last years Rareform from After the Burial or Fate’s Vultures, you should go ahead and check this out; techy, choppy deathcore/metalcore that’s layered with what’s essentially one long arpeggio in the form of some superb melodic guitar work over the pretty standard deathcore/pseudo death metal.

While the base of Creature is pretty run of the mill as far as short haired and /or bearded baseball hat wearing kids playing death metal goes, the fact is Joe Cocchi and Klye Marcoux are seriously skilled and the end result is an album that gives some welcome melody and harmony to the often breakdown dominated genre. Now don’t get me wrong, there are breakdowns (“Arsenal”, “Extinguish Them”, “Creature”, “Holy Mess”), plenty of them, but they aren’t pure Rose Funeral or Oceano styled heft, but more shoulder bobbing, tempered and choppy lurches.

Not quite as techy or complex as the recent Burning the Masses or The Faceless (though in the ball park) or over the top as With Passion, Within the Ruins are still pretty busy, but the guitar work is way more focused on solos, or riffs that sound like solos as heard on “Dig a Ditch”, “Call off the Wedding”, “Tractor Pull”” and “Holy Mess”. It’s often close to sheer noddling for noodling sake, but never quite get there, instead the tracks are confidently and ambitiously structured, if a bit samey by the time closer “Victory” rolls by, which is a shame as its similar to the title track from Fate’s Vulture’s-a gorgeously melodic, galloping instrumental track.

Creature is not going to convert grizzled death metal fans to either the genre, Within the Ruins or Victory Records, but if you’ve been reading my reviews long enough to identify with some of my tastes, go ahead and check this out-I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s the best of Victory’s February releases and a debut from a band with no other ties to any other bands, just a fresh energy and sense of melody.

Now about the amount of pink in that artwork/logo….?

[Visit the band's website]

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