Destinity, The Inside
Shrugging off past incarnations as full on Black Metal, France’s Destinity have restructured their sound once again with this latest release from Lifefore Records. At times brutal and technical, The Inside also sees the band delving into more melodic death metal, incorporating themes that are sweeping and epic in nature. Among the highly technical song structures, progressive and symphonic elements also make their presence known within choruses, riffing and leads.
The Inside is the sixth studio release from these guys and it’s a whirlwind of styles. The guitars range from technical riffing to sweeping leads in the blink of an eye. The rhythm section rumble along with manic blasts and controlled beats when the moment calls for it. On lead vocals Mick growls, sings and shouts with conviction, displaying his range well. Together, the band’s metal style of the moment will probably appeal to fans of In Flames and the like more than it will their older Black Metal fan base, so be prepared for something a little different.
My Senseless Theory
The album opens up with some static and radio noise as some riffing and drum work play muted in the background for a few seconds. Once out in the open the initial guitar work is pretty technical and memorable as the band shifts into a chugging series of riffs and thundering drums. the pace is quickly increased to a galloping roll as the vocals come into play. The tempo swings throughout this one make for a dynamic sounding song. This one, during the more aggressive blasts, reminds me a bit of Crionics latest effort, but not quite as industrial. Clean vocals and some symphonics come in during the chorus, but don’t take too much away from the impact of the track.
Murder Within
A memorable, thrashy riff gets the pace moving along as quick drums pummel you senseless. The drum work is real impressive on this one — lots of rapid blasts and fills. The are a few more melodic chorus elements with keyboard work. The solos at the 2:25 and 3:34 marks are pretty damned sick.
Thing I Will Never Feel
“Thing I Will Never Feel” starts off with some epic and theatrical keyboard work along with some big riffs. A big growl accompanies the drums as the band settles into a nice mid-tempo groove. Layered vocals during the chorus give this one some nice depth, as well. The lead vocals come in much more guttural.
Still Remember
I like the opening riff to this next song. It’s quick and pretty memorable as the band shifts into thrash mode with some quick rhythms and beastial vocals. This is one of the more aggressive and violent tracks on the album. Lots of head banging fun to be found within the technical blasts and big riffs of “Still Remember.”
A Thousand Falling Skies
A bit of melancholy guitar work and a big growl start off the slower beginning to this next song. “A Thousand Falling Skies” is a bit more symphonic in nature and slower paced than some of the previous material on this album. It’s a bit darker overall as well.
Inhuman Corrosive Report
Chugging guitars accompany the guttural vocals right from the start of this one. The pace picks up a bit right before the one minute mark as layered, melodic vocals appear for the chorus. There are some pretty beefy blasts in the second half of the song that shouldn’t be missed.
Ready To Leave
A theatrical opening along with Slayer inspired bit of guitar work greet the listener at the beginning of this one as the pace slows with softly spoken vocals. There’s a dark nature to this one as memorable guitar work and creative drumming pick up the pace some.
Enemy Process
I love the opening guitar and drum work for “Enemy Process.” As the quick vocals come in, the pace is sped up to a pummeling low thunder of rhythms. There’s a nice groove to this one, as well.
Escaping Reality
A much slower and quieter start to this next one greets the listener after the more aggressive “Enemy Process.” Orchestral strings and light guitar picking take up the first 30 seconds or so of the song right before some impressive drum work drowns out the guitars. Mick’s vocals have a nice flow to them early on as melodic riffing joins in. This one also has a more theatrical and epic presence to it that’s quite different than the previous tracks.
The Inside
The final and title track starts off with some memorable riffing, keyboards and heavy drums. I like the groove to this one as the group weaves their way through drum blasts and crushing guitar work. This is a strong ending to a pretty impressive album.
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It’s completely understandable that a band would mold their sound over time, but to completely surprise your fan base with a different metal style on nearly every album is an interesting strategy that I hope plays out well for Destinity. This latest effort is catchy and memorable with moments of technical bludgeoning and symphonic keyboard work. It’s an interesting mix that hopefully will set them apart from the throng of mediocre melodic death metal bands out there.
Favorite Tracks:
Murder Within
Still Remember
Enemy Process
Additional Notes:
N/A