:: Mutiny Within - Mutiny Within

Mutiny Within

On the surface, it would appear that Roadrunner Records have plucked New Jersey act Mutiny Within from the depths of obscurity, signed them up and put them out on the road (alongside Soulfly, Prong, Arch Enemy, Exodus and Arsis) prior to releasing their debut full-length self-titled album. But while it all sounds like a dream come true for the band, the truth is that Mutiny Within have certainly worked hard to get where they have today. In the eight years they’ve been together (initially under the name of Mutiny), they have weathered countless line-up changes and adapted to the numerous shifts in musical direction with every new addition to the band. But after years of struggle, and finally securing the right front man (in the way of former With Intent vocalist Chris Clancy, who hails from Blackpool, UK), Mutiny Within are finally ready to take on the world with their debut effort.

In a lot of ways, their constant shift in musical directions in the past has helped Mutiny Within mould a sound that’s a little different from everyone else here in the present. Listening to the album as a whole, it’s hard to pinpoint one particular genre to their sound. But if a description were needed, then you could say that Mutiny Within is primarily a melodic progressive act (in some ways sounding like a clash of Dream Theatre, Into Eternity and Threshold), with some subtle influences from metalcore (Killswitch Engage and All That Remains) and thrash (Nevermore and Arch Enemy) strewn throughout their sound. While the whole thing sounds like a bit of a mess, it has to be said that Mutiny Within actually makes the whole mixed up/multi-genre thing work in their favour.

The album’s first single/promotional video clip ‘Awake’ opens up the album, and for a very good reason. The band certainly know how to write a song that comes across as heavy and melodic, with just the right amount of technical flair to maintain interest. But the real star is Clancy, whose vocals have just the right mix of aggression and clean elements to command attention. Coupled with the music, and with plenty of shedding on both the keyboards and the guitars, Mutiny Within has a sound that assured success. From here, Mutiny Within rarely falters with the remaining ten offerings, with songs such as the heavy ‘Images’, the slower paced ‘Falling Forever’, the dramatic ‘Year Of Affliction’, ‘Oblivion’, and the towering ‘Suffocate’ the real stand out tracks from the album. While the album does tend to blur a little toward the end, and the band have a tendency to stick to the safe side of their song writing for the most part, Mutiny Within have put together a truly outstanding debut effort.