Whether it’s for their immolating debut as a sinister melodic deathcore act or for their metamorphosis into a catchy-but-still crushing heavy act with pop sensibilities, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Slovenian metal act Within Destruction. While many bands “mature” throughout their tenure by way of omitting heaviness in favor of blander, more conventional sensibilities, Within Destruction have retained the overt aggression that made them an instantaneous hit in the heavy music circuit while polishing and refining their sound and style to give it an almost poppy, ultramodern chic. The result is Within Destruction—hands down one of the most unique and hard working band conquering the global metal scene today.
Founded in 2010, Within Destruction first gained local traction within the European heavy music community with their debut record From the Depths in 2012, which saw them taking raw, ruthless traditional deathcore elements and infusing them with both brutal and melodic death metal influences. In the months that would follow, the band would begin writing the release that earned them notoriety throughout the worldwide heavy music circuit: Void. Featuring guest appearances from Archspire’s Dean Lamb, Oceano’s Adam Warren and I Declare War’s Jamie Hanks, the album was released via Rising Nemesis Records. Void defined heavy music for 2016, earning the band immense critical acclaim and regional support slots on tours alongside Disentomb, Acranius, Kraanium and more. Void would segue brilliantly into D E A T H W I S H, the band’s third full-length album which was initially self released, but later picked up by Unique Leader Records for a re-release. Here, the band made early steps in refining and reducing the overt slamming influence in their music while still retaining punch, voracity and intensity. Similarly to Void, D E A T H W I S H was met largely with praise, and springboard the band to even greater heights—and to the band that brought forth Yokai, their fourth and most diverse record to date. On Yokai, which was again self released by the band through their own record label Ultra Heavy Records, Within Destruction experimented with hip-hop, pop and dark trap influences alongside a decidedly Asian theme while still retaining their firmament of ferocious, eviscerating deathcore. The result is chimeric, and one that—while divisive among the band’s existing fanbase—earned the band an immense influx of new listeners and expanded their name tenfold.
Despite releasing Yokai in the midst of a global pandemic, Within Destruction have certainly not slowed down. Now with a string of worldwide shows under their belts alongside festivals and tours lined up in the second half of 2022 and new music well on the way, Within Destruction continue to exert their dominance as an unpredictable, unfiltered, unprecedented and unrelenting force within the global heavy music community.
