Originally formed by drummer Matthew Gossman back in 2001, Into the Moat started as a one-man project until finally evolving into a lethal five piece ensemble. The bands music is a cross between the jazz/death metal hybrid of Candiria, and the math-core of The Dillinger Escape Plan. So you can expect tons of intricate jazzy guitar passages, thunderous riffs, maniacal vocals, and furious rhythms. While at times the music is very chaotic and seems to lack direction, the musical dexterity that these five very young players demonstrate (they are all in the their early 20's) is quite impressive. Songs like the pummeling "Guardian" features a multitude of complex guitar riffery that goes from metal to jazz in a heartbeat, while "Empty Shell" has plenty of fusion firepower to go along with its metal thunder. Singer Earl Ruwell's voice will be an acquired taste for some, as he screams at the top of his lungs throughout, yet it fits the style of music fine due to the complex and chaotic nature of the song arrangements. Take "The Inexorable" for instance, which starts out as a ominous & complex headbanger, with Ruwell's hair raising shouts and growls splitting through the mix, to be interrupted by a tranquil and temporary jazz segue, before the band comes crashing back in for some evil sounding thrash mayhem that is very intense.
This is the kind of ride you can expect from The Design. To some, there might be a little too much noise and disjointed riffery going on here, but for others, this will be a treat of extremely complex metal-core. There's certainly enough moments of death metal, prog-metal, jazz, hardcore, and grind core to please fans of many genres.
Track Listing
01. Century II
02. Empty Shell
03. Dead Before I Stray
04. Guardian
05. The Inexorable
06. Fortitudine
07. Beyond Treachery
08. None Shall Pass
09. Prologue...
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