Yes, that is the correct author name above… I am indeed reviewing a deathcore album! Back in college I had a bit of a -core phase, and Within the Ruins‘ Phenomena was one of my favorite albums in that vein — the more technical aspects of the riffs and solos on display (and the willingness to use more than just the first five frets) really elevated the band in comparison to many of their peers in that scene, and “Gods Amongst Men” is a certified banger that I can still have a great time listening to today. In the ten years since that album’s release my own musical tastes have certainly evolved, but Within the Ruins remain largely unchanged on Phenomena II.

Since I’ve been reviewing almost exclusively black metal albums since starting to write for Nine Circles almost two years ago, it’s safe to say that tackling Phenomena II is the furthest outside my wheelhouse that I’ve ventured so far; I don’t even listen to this type of music anymore, let alone review it! So what does Within the Ruins have to offer on this sequel to their 2014 opus? A lot of the same, albeit with more emphasis on the djent aspects of their sound. What drew me to the band a decade ago was the melodic metalcore that existed in conjunction with that 8-string low-end sound that was all the rage back then — while not completely abandoned, melodic, fret-spanning riffs are fewer and farther between this time around. Standout “Demon Killer” serves as the best example of what I had hoped to find on this album, with a perfect blend of syncopated djent grooves and ascending melodic riffs that manage to find a great rhythm themselves — all topped off with a devastating breakdown near the end of the song that paves the way for a more atmospheric outro. The weedly, almost artificial-sounding leads remain (for better or worse), and thankfully Joe Cocchi’s guitar solos are still a major highlight of the Within the Ruins sound. Unfortunately these few positives are vastly hampered by Phenomena II‘s greatest weakness: the production.

As stated previously I *THWACK* don’t listen to this type of *THWACK* metal anymore, but is the explicit purpose of the *THWACK* goddamn snare supposed to be to *THWACK* distract you from every other aspect of the music? I’ll come clean and admit I first listened to Phenomena II driving to and from work, so the painful cutting through of the snare was something I chalked up to a vastly suboptimal listening environment; alas the problem exists to only lesser extent on in-ear headphones. The choice to mix the drums so loudly that they overpower almost every other aspect of the sound — especially the guitars on a djent album no less — is absolutely baffling to me. Perhaps this is meant to be a feature and not a bug, but it really brings down the whole experience. Following the guitar solo on opener “Castle in the Sky” there’s a frenetic blast-led section which would be a hell of a lot more interesting if I could hear what the guitars are doing! The oft-plastic nature of the guitars themselves doesn’t do the overall sound any favors either, not to mention the oft nonexistent bass. When more frantic start-and-stop riffing appears on songs like “A World on Fire” it almost sounds wrong thanks to the mixing, almost forcing the band into a specifically djent-y corner away from more technically inclined performances. Some respite is offered in the three instrumentals “Level 12,” “Death Mask,” and “Enigma II” at least, as these showcase Within the Ruins at their very best as both musicians and songwriters (the latter even functions as a solid throwback to the original “Enigma” as well).

Ultimately Phenomena II doesn’t manage to touch it’s decade-old predecessor, but actual fans of the genre will likely still find material worth listening to here. I might just be a trve kvlt old man yelling at a cloud here, but the bewildering production choices in conjunction with a more djent-focused sound made this foray back towards the sounds of my youth an unfulfilling one. Nothing ventured, nothing gained; at least I managed to gain a greater respect for good drum mixing out of my experience listening to this album.

— Colin

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Phenomena II will be available August 23 through MNRK Heavy. For more information on Within the Ruins, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.