Mutiny Within Mutiny Within

Roadrunner is pushing these guys pretty hard, and it's easy to see why. Mutiny Within's brand of friendly, yet progressive metalcore will appeal to droves of people who like their metal safe and sugary. I know it sounds like I'm about to berate this album, but it's not as queasy as it could have been. I have to give credit to vocalist Chris Clancy. He can actually sing. If you're going to insert a clean, sing-along verse/chorus combination in every song, you might as well find someone with strong pipes. To give you an idea of what to expect, the vocals are 80% clean. It's a refreshing approach to take. Personally, I roll my eyes whenever I hear up-and-coming bands trying to outscream each other. The guitars are technical and melodic. There is a scholarly solo trade-off planted in the middle of each track. As a result, the arrangements feel formulaic and predictable, but at least the leads are interesting. Regrettably, this isn't the kind of CD you're going to listen to straight through. After track six or so, the songs blend into one another and the vocal melodies start to sound alike. The best selections percolate on the strength of a hooky chorus. I'm mainly referring to "Awake," "Images," and "Year of Affliction." It's obvious that the operatives in Mutiny Within put a ton of effort into this recording. It wasn't made for me, though. Fans of Killswitch Engage, Across the Sun, and Still Remains will find this disc to their liking. Bottom Line: I've said everything that I can say about Mutiny Within's self-titled debut. I don't see the point in writing an essay about it, so I'll just say that it's a finespun collection of metalcore songs. It boils down to taste. If you go for this sort of thing, then it's a fantastic album. If you don't go for this sort of thing, then it's merely tepid. Competent, but tepid.