Review Summary: Newcomers to the metal genre Mutiny Within show great amounts of potential mixed with great technical ability.
Formed in New Jersey, Mutiny Within is singer Chris Clancy, guitarists Brandon Jacobs and Daniel Badge, bass guitar Andrew Jacobs, drums Bill Fore (who left shortly after recording the debut) and Drew Stavola on keyboards.
Mutiny Within presents a great amount of talent with influences ranging from heavy metal, power metal and even classical/operatic themes. This is because whilst the majority of the band originated from New Jersey, singer Chris Clancy from England can be found on YouTube covering Pavarotti and is vocally opera trained. Gaining access to the world’s stage using popular mediums such as metal magazine “Metal Hammer” and television show “WWE” have steadily gained the popularity of the metal community.
What listeners will first notice is that this is not your simple metalcore outfit. Mutiny Within combine elements of keyboard work with clean and high gain guitar tones with the occasional blast beasts creates a level of diversity that listeners will be carried up and down on. Kicking off with ‘Awake’ listeners will notice immediately the technical ability of all members. The rhythm guitar work is precise and the lead work will have listeners imagining a spiders dancing over a seven string fret board. Most notably is front man Chris Clancy’s vocal work ranging from the high falsetto cleans to powerful roars and screams to forced/pushed clean vocal lines maintaining the listeners’ interest with his vocal ability.
Production wise the recording of this debut album was almost perfect, the only flaw being the lack of a noticeable bass guitar presence and while it hugs the main guitar patterns does not make an impact on the music. The guitar lines, drum work and vocal lines are especially well recorded. It seems as with most up and coming metal bands that the bass guitar fades out of mixes.
Highlighting the album includes third track ‘Falling Forever’ and whilst using some rather cliché lyrical themes maintains a high song writing standard and further displays the bands writing, technical and creative talents. The guitar work is something in itself to get excited about but when layered with the keyboards underneath a clean vocal line creates a quality filled track.
A negative of the album includes its overall blending ability. The tracks when played one after the other incorporate the same overall patterns including the hook lines of the song added to almost every climaxed chorus of tracks. This is especially noticeable after the fifth or sixth track and in the songs eternal changes loses their effects on the listener.
From releasing their debut album listeners will experience the bands great potential from a band just getting noticed on an international level. This self titled effort shows that Mutiny Within has a great future potential making it an interesting question for their next effort. Does Mutiny Within act on this great potential and release a higher level of quality for their next effort? For fans of their music it is truly hoped that they do not disappoint the metal masses.
Highlights Include: Awake, Falling Forever, and Hours.
