Within Y is yet another Melodeath band from Sweden. Their debut album is a brilliant thrash fest that hearkens back to the classic days and is full of speedy riffs, crushing vocals and moshpit anthems. It is clear that they have studied hard in the school of metal and used this insight to provide us with a mesmerizing demonstration of their skills. Just hit up “Remains of a Shattered Illusion” and you will clearly see that this is the logical conclusion of this style of music.

Amazing production truly allows this band to shine. Each drumbeat, guitar riff and bass crash is perfectly placed there; the timing exacting and precise. The drumming is spectacular and really adds another dimension to the Melodeath drum style. While the solos are not speed fests, they are melodic as all hell with primary exemplars existing on “Face Down” and “God in Silence,” the latter reminding me of some Whoracle style In Flames. “Behold” could be a lost At the Gates song minus the vocals of Andreas Solveström. Killer cuts like “Feeble and Weak” power this album to greatness. The passion in which the band bangs out the album closer “Sacred Lies” is unreal. They must be one hell of a live act because this album allows the tremendous energy they force through their instruments to become blatantly apparent to even the most casual listener and fan of melodic death. This is a surefire candidate for melodic death metal album of 2004.

It appears as though the next generation of Melodeath is finally hitting the scene with full force. Taking the lessons of At the Gates, Dark Tranquility and the rest of the Gothenburg innovators, the young generations are finally exerting their influence in the world of metal. With young Scandinavian bands making such tremendous inroads in this genre, we can only hope for the floodgates to open and more talented bands like Omnium Gatherum, The Duskfall, The Wake and now Within Y to expand the scene. This next wave of Scandinavian death metal is looking quite promising. I would write a longer review but this one just speaks for itself. Sheer brilliance.