Released: Feb 23, 2010
Genre: Metal
Label: Roadrunner Records
Number Of Tracks: 11
New Jersey’s newest metal band tries a lot of things on its self-titled, Roadrunner debut. Progressive, but not quite prog. Melodic, but certainly not overtly commercial.
Mutiny WithinFeatured review by: UG Team, on february 22, 2010 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: Mutiny Within’s self-titled debut is densely packed with a lot of elements. Maybe that’s because half the band hails from New Jersey, a fertile musical breeding ground and the other half hails from England. To call Mutiny Within a prog band isn’t quite accurate, because it implies that the band is piping out noodly solos and displaying a flair for the dramatic. However, there are plenty of progressive elements on 10 song collection that must be acknowledged. Chunky riffs and complex layering of sounds populate this album, which means a Fates Warning fan will appreciate songs such as “Awake” or “Year of Affliction” as easily as a Testament or Shadows Fall fan would. There are plenty of impressive, showy riffs –about two-and-a-half minutes into “Images”- but there is so much going on in every song that the album and your ears will be best served when listened to through headphones. There’s no “core,” as in “deathcore” or “metalcore,” here at all; instead, Mutiny Within is a bit more forward-thinking and ultimately, risky, by foregoing barks and grunts in favor of a huge, melodic voice. We also like “Falling Forever,” which would please even the snootiest DragonForce fan with its “bigness.” And please note, we don’t mean “sounds like” when we say that. It means there is some sort of music kinship that isn’t exactly overt. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: Vocalist Chris Clancy possesses a set of pipes that’ll make you weep, if you want to be a singer that hits high notes. The singer could have a future outside of metal if he so chooses, but his work on Mutiny Within is stellar. He has soaring vocals, but never sounds overly flashy or “look at me!” in his delivery, as some progressively-minded vocalists tend to do. The album’s vocals are about 75% clean, with some layered grows throughout, but for the most part, it’s the Chris Clancy Clean Vocal Show, as his voice leaves a mark and fully complements the music that he sings over. // 8
Impression: It might take a minute for Mutiny Within to find its audience, because the band is new and it’s increasingly harder for new bands to connect with fickle music fans. But since metal fans are known for their loyalty and their hunger for new bands, once Mutiny Within are discovered, metalheads will be impressed by the scope of their sound. Sure, it’s mostly clean vocals, which a lot of metal fans turn their noses up at, but that’s the style that best fits the smartly constructed music. So growl-worshippers will likely hate this. However, it’s ambitious, and therefore, we’d love to see what Mutiny Within does next. That said, if you like riffy displays and peaks-grazing vocals, give this a shot. // 8
Mutiny Within
Reviewed by:
KsE909, on march 04, 2010 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: The first thing you hear on the opening track Awake, is the immensely beefy sound of guitars, and some sick blast beats. Then vocalist Chris Clancy opens his mouth, and you are left with the sweet sound of Mutiny Within. Shredding solo's, insane riffs that bust your guts and melt your face. The production quality is amazing, as is anything from Roadrunner Records. The drums are thick and clear, the keyboards are noticeable, the bass is low and heavy, and the vocals are epic. Just as the doctor ordered. Every song ends with you wanting more. You might find yourself grabbing your guitar/bass/keyboard and try to find out what key the song is in, just so you can play along to it. You'll find this difficult, due to the wondrous guitar skills executed by the at the time 18 year old guitarist. Brandon Jacobs shows off his guitar prowess that shows he studied hard long hours alone in his bedroom. Its looks like spending his time learning Necrophagist albums payed off. Drummer Bill shows how drums were meant to be played, with double bass and blast beats that would make any metalhead proud. A strong sound from the New Jersey/England boys. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Lyrics reminds me of a better time when those counted just as much as a solo. Howard Jones would be proud, Phil Labonte would be jealous, and we will all relate to them. Chris delivers every line and every syllable with such force, that you'll put this CD on repeat and fall asleep to it every nite for a week, because you just can't get enough. Every lyric fits in perfectly with the music behind it, every chorus is catchy, and every song has a hook. And Chris shows his vocal talent and pushes his voice to near perfection. The opening high note on Falling Forever is all the proof you need. And lets not forget the nice mixture of growls and screams, that will satisfy your core side. Songs like Lethean and Year of Affliction lets you know there is a screamer/growler deep inside Chris. The mix is about 80% clean vocals, 20% screaming, so if you love the clean and melodic, this is the band for you. // 10
Impression: This album is an instant classic. Its an album you will actually go out and buy, instead of download off Frostwire. Songs like Falling Forever, Undone, Suffocate, Oblivion, and Forsaken are the songs that show off every members never ending talent. This is a band that is is easy to fall in love with, and even easier to become obsessed with. I can't wait to hear new material from these guys in the future. As for now, I'm left with this amazing album. I think I can last. Check this band out, I promise you won't regret it. In fact, you might just thank me. // 9
Yeah, Chris is a very talented singer and knows how to display his singing well with the rest of the band. Im not really into melodic vocals, but this band's style certainly caught my attention at the show.
seeing them with sonata arctica in april, gonna be great. except the review wasn't that great. still, the band's worth checking out, and if you're obsessed with growling vocals then you probably need to open your mind to different musical stylings.
the first song i heard of em was "awake" i had to listen to it like fifty times, i love these guys great cleans he reminds of scar symmetry's old singer minus the growls of course.
This was a very well done review! Top marks to Amy Sciarretto. After reading that, I definitely plan to check these guys out. I may even go buy their album!
A solid debut album in my opinion. They've got some great riffs and great melodies and the musicianship by all of the members is impressive. I'm a fan of growls and clean vocals so the cleans don't bother me. Definitely check this out if you get the chance to.
seen em with arch enemy.Definitely did not like the cleans at all.The best thing about this band was the leads but while they were playing the lead guitarist amp crapped out on the second song and they never got it working>.
Saw them perform with Machine Head in NY. They are a good metal band to check out if you are into very melodic vocals.
when????? and how did i miss it?????
It was a headlining show that Machine Head did at the Crazy Donkey. I think the Crazy Donkey is located in Farmingdale. Anyways, it was probably around October or November when they had the show. It was the only show they did in the U.S. and some of the other artists at the show besides Mutinty and MH were Thy Will Be Done (really good.) and...I forget the rest haha.
I have a very strong taste for Progressive Black and Death Metal, and 75% of the bands I currently listen to use low, evil and guttural growls (or high-pitched shrieks at times).
And I actually enjoyed this band a lot. Thanks for the discovery. It's fast, punchy and the singer's performance is stellar. Not cheesy at all, more like really catchy, and some riffs are actually pretty good. It all blends together well and it's quite refreshing.
seen em with arch enemy.Definitely did not like the cleans at all.The best thing about this band was the leads but while they were playing the lead guitarist amp crapped out on the second song and they never got it working>.
Dude I was there too! I forget what the vocals were like. The keyboards provide good technical difficulty background noise.
i love these guys, ive been following them since roadrunner announced them being signed. chris is an amazing singer. i wana go see them this wed. at loony toons and get some autographs
I want to go, but school just had to be in the way didn't it?...
shockdoctor92 wrote:
i love these guys, ive been following them since roadrunner announced them being signed. chris is an amazing singer. i wana go see them this wed. at loony toons and get some autographs
Gave the album a listen, it's pretty good, just seems too generic to me. Sounds like a mix of a bunch other Roadrunner bands, and personally i'd rather listen to the other bands
got the album the other day. I am enjoying it, very melodic, which isn't a bad thing if you've got a singer who can pull it off, and I think Chris can. My only criticism is that this feels like it should be a progressive metal record, but the songs don't last long enough to really get there.
As soon as I heard that beefy chorus from Awake I could tell this band was going to be nothing short of truly epic. Jumped straight into my top 3 bands easily after seeing how consistent they are with the rest of the album too. Pure chance I even found them, was looking through the track listing for Metal Hammer's AC/DC cover album on youtube. Eternally grateful to that magazine now
