Into the Moat are a young band hailing from Ft. Lauderdale, FL created by drummer Matthew Gossman. Originally a one man project, Gossman put together several demo tracks on his own before gathering enough members to fill the ranks. With an EP already under their belts, The Design is their Metal Blade debut and let me tell you, these guys are well worth your time and energy.

Unlike the overwhelming amount of Metalcore bands who are indistinguishable from one another, Into the Moat carve out their own niche in the genre in a way that had me grinning ear to ear moments after putting this album on. I immediately thought of The Dillinger Escape Plan on first listen, as the musicians change their minds every three seconds, flawlessly shifting from blasts to breakdowns and everything in between while also throwing in weird jazz-like passages when you least expect it. However, unlike The Dillinger Escape Plan, Into the Moat are much more rooted in metal in their riffs, which are heavier, very technical and more distinguishable. While I could select an individual song and pick it apart, this would be comparable to me seeing a twenty car pile-up and having to describe to police exactly how each car came to be a part of the scene. Even with all this being said, I’m still having a really hard time describing these guys as there is so much going on when listening to them that it’s often hard to keep up. This could be seen as a good or a bad thing, depending on what you’re the looking for.

As for the musicians themselves, it goes without saying that they all shine. Though I normally grow tired of Metalcore vocals, vocalist Earl Ruwell actually succeeds in keeping my attention as he knows how to let his vocals match the intensity of the music. I must also give an honorable mention to drummer and founding father Matthew Gossman who really abuses the hell out of his kit, laying the perfect foundation for Into the Moat’s all out aural assault.

With such a wealth of activity going on it would be expected that the production would somehow fail to capture it all but thankfully that is not the case here, as everything sounds nice and thick, especially Gossman’s frantic yet calculated drumming.

If you’re still curious about whether Into the Moat are the band for you, just ask yourself this question: do I enjoy bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan who couldn’t care less about trends and make extremely heavy, technical and over-the-top metal? If the answer is no, that’s too bad, but if it’s yes, by all means check out The Design. Forward-thinking, brutal, and technical Metalcore that follows its own rules.