WITHIN THE RUINS Unveils “The Last Son” Video/Single; Phenomena II Nears Its August 23rd Release Via MNRK Heavy

Photo by Riamond Lomeli

Evolution drives longevity. WITHIN THE RUINS relentlessly pushes forward, incinerating complacency and innovating out of its ashes. The Western Massachusetts quartet — Joe Cocchi (guitar), Kevin McGuill (drums), Paolo Galang (bass, clean vocals), and Steve Tinnon (lead vocals) — razes convention with a sonic sensory onslaught anchored by polyrhythmic bludgeoning, head-nodding grooves, viscerally evocative vocals, and vivid storytelling. Their controlled chaos has resulted in tens of millions of streams (a rarity for acts this uncompromisingly heavy), packed houses on tour, and widespread acclaim courtesy of Alternative Press, American Songwriter, Loudwire, Metal Injection, Phoenix New Times, and many more.

Now, they continue to evolve on Phenomena II, the sequel to the band’s critically adored Phenomena full-length, which was released a decade ago and has reaped over 18 million streams to date!  “When you listen to us, we hope you feel like you found some fresh metal,” notes Cocchi. “After doing anything for a long time, it’s easy to get stuck in your ways. So, we always try to present something you haven’t heard before—and you aren’t going to get anywhere else.”

“In ‘The Last Son,’ a planet is destroyed, and Earth becomes home for one of the only survivors of that world,” notes Cocchi of the band’s latest single. “For some, he’s an alien that doesn’t belong. For others, he’s the savior god they’ve been looking for. Whether they accept him, or reject him, he stays to protect the people he has adopted as his own.”

Guttural guitars groan through a haze on “The Last Son,” while a hulking groove seesaws atop a percussive stomp. “Every song has a vibe,” Cocchi says. “This one is slower for us. ‘The Last Son’ also has Superman-inspired lyrics that worked very well.”

Watch the band’s previously released video for the record’s first single, “Castle In The Sky,” HERE.

Phenomena II will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats. Find preorders at THIS LOCATION.

WITHIN THE RUINS was forged in 2003. As the story goes, Cocchi and McGuill first linked up back in high school. They slogged it out locally for a long time, solidifying the initial core lineup of WITHIN THE RUINS with previous vocalist Tim Goergen. Building a devout fan base one gig and project at a time, they served up Creature (2009), Invade (2010), and Elite (2013), paving the way for the fan favorite, Phenomena (2014). Drawing its primary subject matter from Marvel and DC characters, the latter yielded two of their most popular anthems “Gods Amongst Men” and “Enigma,” which reeled in 4.7 million Spotify streams and 3.5 million Spotify streams, respectively. Following Halfway Human (2017), the musicians welcomed Steve Tinnon to the fold and ignited Black Heart during 2020. Highlighted by “Deliverance,” “Devil In Me,” and “Black Heart,” the latter incited critical applause. American Songwriter praised how “WITHIN THE RUINS takes deathcore to a new level with Black Heart.”

Tinnon’s addition had injected fresh fire into the band as they continued to write and record. In the meantime, Cocchi opened up his own brewery Tin Bridge Brewing where he and McGuill both work. Tin Bridge Brewing also serves as the band’s homebase, including their studio on site. With the decade anniversary of Phenomena looming, the musicians made a conscious decision to leap forward by looking back. The band wrote and recorded in their hub of Westfield, Massachusetts with Cocchi at the helm as producer once again.

“We had written a handful of songs, and we were searching for inspiration,” recalls Cocchi. “We wanted to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Phenomena, because it was a pinnacle point of our career. I wrote a demo that reminded Steve of Phenomena. So, it was his idea to create Phenomena II. The styles really aligned in terms of the unique guitar effects and the themes where each track tells a story from a comic book character’s point-of-view.”

“WITHIN THE RUINS are seven albums in and absolutely embracing deathcore’s more cinematic, progressive elements on new single ‘Castle In The Sky,’ striking a balance between furious, stomping beats and nimble, technical guitar lines that have an air of the neoclassical about them.” – Metal Hammer (Best New Songs)

“Proggy deathcore for all!” – Metal Injection on “Castle In The Sky”

“[It] seems to start off as a darkwave song before becoming a deathcore track. It’s a really dynamic contrast that makes the song sound really exciting and vital.” – MetalSucks on “Castle In The Sky”

WITHIN THE RUINS:

Joe Cocchi – guitar

Kevin McGuill – drums

Paolo Galang – bass, clean vocals

Steve Tinnon – lead vocals

For WITHIN THE RUINS coverage contact liz@earsplitcompound.com.

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