Within Y - Extended Mental Dimensions
Candlelight Records - 2004
By Adam McAuley
If the entire purpose of
Extended Mental Dimensions is to replicate the up-front appeal of the more accessible albums of the melo-death genre, then
Within Y have succeeded. If, however, a more genuine and original approach was the goal of the band, they certainly have failed in that department.
EMD is incredibly derivative of albums like
Slaughter of the Soul and mid-period
In Flames (
Colony/Clayman), and does a decent job of copying said output. I don't know why they had the notion that albums like that had to be repeated, though. Even worse is the fact that the imitators come up short of the masters. Not to say that
Colony was a masterful release, but this is certainly inferior to even that.
Sure, the production is bulky, the guitars are melodic and the songs remain in your head, but this album is simply derivative and stale. The lyrical content is a step below their peers, as are the performances of the players. Drums are very hollow and put in the background, the vocalist sounds like he wishes he was Lindberg, and the music seems like an attempt to gain commercial acceptance.
In Flames haven't deserved recent success, and these guys don't deserve anything noteworthy either.
A few interesting bridges are thrown in for good measure, and the whole ensemble is competent enough, but the bottom line is that you've heard this before and far better at that. If you're one of those rare people that thinks
Clayman is just as good as
The Jester Race, you might want to check this out. Otherwise, give the album a cursory glance or ignore it altogether.
5.5/10
Candlelight Records’ Official Website
Within Y’s Official Website
