Black Heart is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Within the Ruins. It was released on November 27, 2020.[3] It is Within the Ruins' first studio album to feature vocalist Steve Tinnon, who joined in 2018, replacing longtime member Tim Goergen, who left due to ongoing health issues.[4] Like their previous album Halfway Human, Black Heart was praised by critics for the incorporation of new elements such as clean vocals in addition to screaming/death growls. The album sold 850 units its first week, debuting at #186 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Sales chart.[5]
| Black Heart | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 27, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2019–2020 | |||
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| Length | 44:30 | |||
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| Within the Ruins chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Black Heart | ||||
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Background and promotion
editOn December 13, 2018, Within the Ruins announced via Instagram that they'd be re-entering the studio to record a brand new album that was originally scheduled for a 2019 release.[6]
After nearly two years of delay, the album release date was announced on September 25, 2020, in conjunction with the release of the album's first promotional single and music video, "Deliverance".[7]
On October 26, 2020, Within the Ruins released a music video to accompany the album's second promotional single and music video, the title track "Black Heart". Speaking on the song, Tinnon stated:
"We're extremely excited to release the video for the title track to our new album, Black Heart! We really enjoyed making this one and getting to tell a bit more of the story behind the music. It's a very angry, personal song, and a lot of the tracks stem from what it's about. It's an important track in regards to the overall theme of the record, and we couldn't be happier with how the video turned out!"[8]
Critical reception
editThe album received praise from critics. Brutal Planet reviewer Dustin Peterson stated about the band's sound:
"Within the Ruins takes Meshuggah's 'Djent' start / stop, off kilter style and adds elements of classic metal and video game aesthetics. There are literally points in this record where the guitarist is making sounds I heard in Ninja Gaiden while playing 8-Bit Nintendo 30 years ago. The intensity, speed and accuracy of the band as a whole is on par with the best."[2]
Additional praise for the album came from Everything Is Noise reviewer JP Pallais:
"Within the Ruins is one band that have been consistently releasing quality music in a genre over-saturated with bands all trying to achieve the same thing. In the case of WTR, the music blends technical metalcore, deathcore, progressive metal, and melodic death metal into one fluid entity with a massive emphasis on technicality. Despite being relentless in terms of how brutal the music is, Within the Ruins know how to make their tunes just as melodic and atmospheric as well."[1]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Domination" | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Deliverance" | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Black Heart" | 4:32 |
| 4. | "Open Wounds" | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Eighty Sixed" (instrumental) | 5:03 |
| 6. | "Devil in Me" | 3:34 |
| 7. | "Hollow" | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Outsider" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "RCKLSS" | 4:28 |
| 10. | "Ataxia V" (instrumental) | 6:12 |
| Total length: | 44:30 | |
Personnel
editWithin the Ruins
- Steve Tinnon – lead vocals
- Joe Cocchi – guitars, production, engineering, mixing
- Paolo Galang – bass, clean vocals
- Kevin McGuill – drums
Additional personnel
- Jim Fogarty – production, engineering
- Scott Lee – associate production
- Fernando Lemus – vocal engineering
- Josh Wickman – mastering, mixing
- Cameron Gray – artwork
References
edit- ^ a b "Within The Ruins – "Black Heart" – Everything Is Noise". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
- ^ a b "Within The Ruins – Black Heart [REVIEW] – BPM". brutalplanetmag.com. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
- ^ "Within The Ruins to release new album in November". Lambgoat. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "WITHIN THE RUINS Parts Ways With Vocalist Tim Goergen". Metal Injection. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ Brown, Matt (December 9, 2020). "Metal By Numbers 12/9: Hatebreed bear the weight". Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ "WITHIN THE RUINS In The Studio For New Album". metalinjection.net. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ "Within The Ruins drop new song "Deliverance"". Metalinsider.net. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ "Within the Ruins Share the Crushing Title Track From Their New Album, Black Heart". metalsucks.net. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.