Review of Destinity - The Inside

I can't recall Lifeforce Records ever releasing anything that changed my life. They've been such a dominating force in stabilizing the upper tier of mediocrity for so long that I'd almost be a little disappointed if they stopped now. And bless their dark hearts, they haven't.

So I'm having the same problem here that my comrade Mr. Thomas is having with The Analyst (great review, go read it). The only difference is, I'm thoroughly enjoying this release, and guiltily. Put this in my "guilty pleasures" category. Somewhere in the middle of the top ten, but not of all time. They might be locked in for an '08 spot. Despite all of this, I can't help but wonder where the French went. I mean the French that makes the French, French. Follow? Destinity is from France. And I'm sure that they are French about many things, but they sure as hell ain't French about their music. I've been conditioned to expect trend-setting qualities from the French. The things that they've done with potatoes, toast, and kissing have raised the standard of living, only to be overshadowed by their persuasion through metal with bands like Gojira, Scarve, and Blut Aus Nord. So it saddens me to write that The Inside is lacking in its ability to create something new, but it is still nourishing.

Could it be that these Frenchmen are under the spell of Finland or Denmark? This time they are. Last time they emulated Poland (DM), and the time before that they pretended to be English (BM). Today Destinity is outlined in less synth, more guitar harmonies and melodies, and a tempo drop, and is usually called Mors Principium Est when it's played with fervor and thrice the skill level, or Hatesphere/Carnal Forge/Illdisposed when the choruses are catchy. They have not the ungod-like skill, nor the knack for spreading an aural virus such as MPE or any of the other aforementioned bands. These guys are good for a heavy dose of deja vu and an amount of plagiarism that would make a transcriber blush, and it's almost enough to convict them. But guess what? I'll be the lookout or I'll drive the getaway car, or whatever it takes to fully endorse this. Originality is a roll of the dice these days and I am not a gambling man. I'll decide to take this for what it is: a passionate take at carbon-copying melodic death metal, given all the attention that a good cloning of a central nervous system would require. Jacob Hansen (producer; Communic, Illdisposed, Raunchy, etc.) once again defies nature by giving plankton a seat up in the middle section through his trademarked crisp and punchy production; all food groups represented. Of course the real justice of this whole injustice is the over-confident (thankfully) and more than competent musicianship. Now if only their chops could sink their teeth into the songwriting, we just might have a really good red mess on our hands.

Here's to hoping that they keep chewing on sharpening stones.

Release Details

Destinity

The Inside

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