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The Pitch: Proud deathcore Slavs Within Destruction are at it again with Yōkai via their own label Ultra Heavy Records. FFO: Born Of Osiris, Whitechapel, Cabal
What I Like: For my money, Within Destruction is one of the finest deathcore acts in the game right now, rising far above their peers in quality while unfortunately only garnering a small fraction of the attention. But after utterly dominating with two of the heaviest albums in the genre in Void and D E A T H W I S H, the self-described squatting Slavs of "true slam" have decided to toy with some new ideas on the highly eccentric Yōkai. Featuring elements of modern metalcore, mathcore, Japanese aesthetic, and even a dash of trap on their latest outing, it's like Born Of Osiris collided with a Soundcloud rapper.
Within Destruction haven't abandoned their roots in brees and breakdowns, but these tropes take a back seat in favor of melodic and electronic additions that end up shaping a much more mainstream sound. There's straight up hip hop verses, club-worthy synths and bass beats, and even use of leet speak in the title of "B4ngB4ng!!" As if bracing for the inevitable blowback of these decisions, the band snarl "I don't give a f#$k if you hate me, cuz I already HATE MYSELF!" And if that wasn't enough, it also features guest appearances from Ryo Kishonita of Crystal Lake, Bill $aber, TYOSiN, Kamiyada+, and Born Of Osiris' own Jason Richardson.
Critiques: I've never been one to particularly enjoy rap in my metal, and those partions are definitely my least favorite here. That said, they are brief and far enough in between that it rarely ruins the overall experience.
The Verdict: Purists and elitists are going to roast this album into oblivion, but given that Within Destruction have partially built their brand on hater memes, I really don't think that they could care less. And you know what? Neither do I. I think that Yōkai is an absolute blast and fresh breathe of originality in an often stale genre.
Flight's Fav's: Malevolent, Kings Of Darkness, Alone
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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