Within Destruction – Animetal
Release Date: 11th April 2025
Label: Sumerian Records
Order/Stream
Genre: Deathcore, Metalcore, Post-Hardcore.
FFO: Darko US, Upon a Burning Body, Tetrarch, Paledusk.
Review By: Jeff Finch
For fans of any music out there, it’s been proven that a band who begins making changes to their sound, whether slowly or drastically, will inevitably alienate some part of the fan base. And though this has occurred many a time for bands that I love, there is something to be said about a band doing exactly what they want, creating the sound that makes them happy, and if the fans enjoy it too, it’s just icing on the proverbial musical cake.
Now, the last time I listened to this band, Within Destruction, was *checks watch* 2018, with their monster release Deathwish. Coming back to them and seeing this album title, and the obvious meaning behind it, had me intrigued and left me intrigued when I was done. Because on this album, Animetal, the band does something that doesn’t seem to exist too much in the vicinity of deathcore: has fun.
And fun this album is: from the insanely catchy post-hardcore chorus and hilariously corny and self-aware chants of “animetal” in the opening title track, to the instantaneous transitions from electronica to deathcore to post-hardcore, culminating in a breakdown soaked in electronic flourishes, on KANASHIBARI, there is a lot of pure entertainment that exists in this record, excellent music being one of the many pieces of the puzzle.
FATE_SEPARATE is a straight-up banger from the get-go, an almost nu-metal intro getting the blood pumping and the head bobbing, replaced with synth soaked aggression, bass popping from the speakers and the riffs acting not as the main act but as a secondary character, the band choosing to focus on multiple sonic elements instead of the prototypical “double bass kick + riff = heavy.” All the elements are there, but no one piece replaces another in the mix: the eerie, industrial, almost horror movie synths combine with the punishing percussion and the deep growls of Rok Rupnik to create a soundscape that doesn’t sound logical on paper but comes out sounding slick on the record, the transition to another catchy chorus courtesy of Howard Fang the cherry on top. The layering of vocals towards the end, the clean and harsh coming together simultaneously, is such that it creates a makeshift gang-vocal chorus that leads into a quick guitar solo, another moment to recall with perked ears and inquisitive eyebrows.
A track like Incomplete might ordinarily seem out of place on a record like this, heavy as it can get, but with the eclectic nature of the band and their “the only rule is that there are no rules” approach, it’s no surprise they introduce a softer melody and clean vocals to begin the track, slowly easing their way up to the harsh vocals and the unbridled aggression, taking advantage of every second they have, the increasingly intense and pained scream around the 1:45 mark of the song also a slow buildup into a crescendo. The anthemic chorus is another example of just how well these guys can write a hook and reel us into a song, never once feeling forced and always with such sincerity as to feel organic, even for a “deathcore” band.
Finale A Love That Slowly Died is essentially a microcosm of what this album has provided in its first eleven tracks: a bevy of synth and electronic features, auto-tuned clean vocals driving home that synthpop vibe while briefly giving way to demonically layered harsh vocals and a mid-tempo rage fest, acting as the antithesis to the opening moments. This is an interesting track because, even though it contains elements heard throughout, it’s far more straightforward a track, the guys giving listeners an easy one to digest as the album closes out.
And it’s at that point the album ends and this listener immediately thinks “what an intriguing listen.” A second listen yields the thought, “this thing is catchy and a lot of fun.” Both with different mindsets at the time of listening, both as true as true can be: this IS an intriguing listen that also happens to be catchy and a great deal of fun. The band is writing about anime and continuing their experimentation, so this album was destined to be fun from the start. Though it’s not something that one is likely to put on when they just want something brazenly heavy, it does fill in those slots where a listener might have a few things in mind and need it all satiated with one album.
(4.5 / 5)
