Within the ruins-Creature

Victory
2009

If I am holding my head in my hands then it means one of the following.

1)I am tired.
2)My kids have been rough today.
3)I just heard an album that managed to be tremendously bad on several levels and thus proved to be excruciating for me to make it through the entire disc.

If you guessed number three then you are indeed correct. If a band plays a style of heavy music then they should actually be heavy. Unfortunately Within the ruins didn't get that memo or else they chose to ignore it. This is metal core of the most generic variety. More metal than hardcore I guess, but that's irrelevant as they really do not bring out the best of either style. Every track starts with brief, moderately fast bursts that are the best few seconds of each song for whatever that is worth. Actually it's a good thing they had those parts or I may not have known when one song ended and another began. On almost every song they rather quickly settle into a dull glide, with thin squealing guitars and forgettable clicking drum beats leading the way.
Within the ruins managed to make an album without being heavy enough or engaging and they saved us from having to deal with any hooks or fire as well. Congratulations, it's a tough task, but this band did a full length album that manages to be almost a complete waste of time. I say almost because at least the songs did seem mercifully short so I thank them for that.