HELL WITHIN

For their second album, the American metalcore outfit HELL WITHIN decided to make it even shorter than their first, so it clocks in at under 34 minutes. The idea is apparently not to overwhelm the listener, and indeed, upon starting the album, you understand that this principle holds throughout all 9 tracks of "Shadows Of Vanity." What we hear on the disc is fairly melodic metalcore, highly technical playing, excellently mixed parts, and equally quality mastering work. But what we categorically do not hear is anything original or distinctive. The vocal delivery adheres to strict metalcore traditions — high growling, screaming, and plenty of clean passages. There are some quite decent solos, and the riffs are occasionally interesting too — both strongly evoke the Gothenburg scene, and this fact largely saves the music. In several moments, the compositions differ from Swedish melodic death only through the vocal delivery and rhythm, which are maintained in the sound of modern American metalcore, and a rather poppy variety at that. Overall, everything seems to be in the right proportions and combinations, it even sounds expressive in places, the instrumental passages are memorable, and yet the work is absolutely about nothing. As background music that doesn't tax the brain at all, it's a perfectly decent release; it's hard to imagine it in any other capacity. The disc is very nicely designed, and honestly, the booklet is far more enticing than what we hear on the album.