Liste der Bands Deathcore In Dying Arms Boundaries

In Dying Arms is a –core band from Baltimore in the USA. I’ve been keeping a close eye on this band over the past year or so (since their self titled album), and in that time their popularity has risen rapidly (almost exponentially I’d say). Why I say “–core band” rather than any single genre you ask? Anyone who has heard of In Dying Arms will know that one does not simply classify In Dying Arms. Boundaries is the third full length album and I am curious to see how they have progressed musically. Mainly because their last album, In Dying Arms (self titled) was on the verge of something that I’d consider professional. I’m not saying it sounds fake or anything, I think it had an amateurish aesthetic to their music and the band still had a little bit of growing to do. However, earlier this year, In Dying Arms released the single “The Core of My Existence” (which appears in Boundaries) and it really gave away how ambitious this album could potentially be, it shows the band were ready to move up a level. The production was perfect and a few changes to their sound here and there just made it a beautiful track. Now, Boundaries has the massive task of jumping over the bar that wonderful single left for them and I didn’t expect a disappointment.

Immediately after I pressed play, I thanked god, because an opening breakdown came along. Although it may not be as symbolic most people, I knew that the breakdown signalled deathcore. I was grateful for this because it meant that In Dying Arms carried over deathcore elements to their music, I was afraid that they may have marginalized them in Boundaries. This was because most of their fan base enjoy the melody and clean vocals in In Dying Arms, more than the deathcore side to their music. If people liked melody and hated deathcore, It’d only be logical to focus more on melody and atmosphere. However the band have stuck to their guns and are bringing us more deathcore awesomeness. If anything, the music is more deathcoreish than ever before. The; breakdowns, vocals and atmosphere are more potent than anything we’ve seen from them previously, and is a definite step forward for the band. I figure now, it should appeal to the more hardened deathcore fans because I didn’t feel the deathcore in the past was fully satisfied my deathcore appetite. I mean, if you’re going to chuck in some deathcore, it might as well be good deathcore right? Now, in subjective opinion, the quality of deathcore on Boundaries is on par with more popular bands such as; Whitechapel and I Declare War, which is just awesome.

I wasn’t expecting In Dying Arms to eliminate their melodic hardcore/metalcore influences in their music. In fact, I really wanted them to embrace and improve upon it. Although I really loved their previous style of melodic hardcore for two reasons; one, it was well presented, well written and created an emotional connection with the listener; and two, it contrasted with the deathcore elements in their music making it more interesting and increasing replay value. However, in Boundaries, they’ve done something a little bit different. If you listen carefully to their previous music, when a melodic passage comes along, they suddenly change mood. Next thing you know, you’re drifting in and out of brutal deathcore and beautiful melodic hardcore. I’m not saying that this was a bad though, but In Dying Arms have really shown off their song writing skills by throwing in some progressive deathcore in there. This doesn’t only add some extra colour into the mix, but also makes the transitions between deathcore and melodic hardcore music more subtle. Thus, giving the music some extra momentum and ultimately increasing the music quality.

Now, yeah, sure there are many bands who mix deathcore and metalcore/melodic hardcore but what really makes In Dying Arms different is how the band goes to the extremes of each genre. They periodically shift from beautiful atmospheric melodic hardcore to some of the most extreme deathcore I’ve heard. This is where I believe In Dying Arms really stands out head and shoulders above the rest of their peers. Also, I think that because they have so much variety in their music, it appeals to a wide audience, giving them exposure to more fans.

Orion Stephens is the only vocalist in In Dying Arms and he handles the vocals extremely well considering how different the three styles are. The clean vocals are really nice, very soft on the ear which really compliments the atmosphere of the melodic hardcore and progressive deathcore passages. Also, the vocals definitely add an emotional connection into the music. As far as distorted vocals are concerned, there are barely any mids ranged vocals, just extreme highs and extreme lows. The highs sound much like the ones used in Chelsea Grin, it sounds almost babyish (which is by no means a bad thing) has a harsh texture as well. However, the growls and pig squeals is where shit starts to get real. The growls are almost demonic, I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard growls as guttural and low as these one. The pig squeals, are just the icing on the cake and fit with the rest of the music perfectly. I still find it hard to believe that all of the vocals on Boundaries is done by a single person (and I still wonder how it can be done live), either way the vocal work is simply awe-inspiring.

Now, song writing style of In Dying Arms is where the general –core population reach a stalemate. As much as I’d hate to say it, not matter how the band has decorated it’s sound, the music is still copy & pasted. On one side, there are those who believe that music can only be worth listening to, if they have something you’ve haven’t heard before. The other side is the people who don’t care if they’ve heard something before, and if they like what they hear, the like the music. To be perfectly honest, I don’t care much for progression in music. If a band is terrible and metamorphoses into an awesome band, then yeah sure, I’d make a point about progression but if a band simply gains inspiration from their favourite bands and integrates this in their music, I couldn’t care less. The fact is, the cut & pasted music is great on Boundaries so I won’t nitpick what I have and haven’t heard before. Actually, there are times throughout Boundaries where I think that In Dying Arms are beating the mainstream bands at their own game.

I don’t know why, but I love trivial things about albums. Essentially they’re just like Easter Eggs in video games, but on albums. Bathed in Salt is obviously a reference to the “zombie” attacks in the United States. What I love about this track is how the atmosphere isn’t the same as the other parts of the album. It actually feels like you’re watching some cheesy zombie move like 28 Day Later or playing something like Resident Evil. I’m not suggesting it has nothing to do with the overall quality of Boundaries or I’m taking this into account, I think it’s just something that is worth looking out for during the Boundaries experience.

Overall, Boundaries is a great follow up to their previous self titled album. It shows definite signs of improvement and progression in their musicianship and song writing skills. Like I’ve mentioned before, In Dying Arms is still a copypasta band and the influences are clear as day. But does that really affect how much I like Boundaries? Not really, considering the quality of the deathcore, metalcore and melodic hardcore. I love how the band switches from brutal deathcore to beautiful melodic hardcore and there are both subtle (ones with keep the momentum flowing) and forceful (ones which keep you on your toes) transitions from one to another.

As they get older, I can see the band drifting towards the mainstream scene both musically and aesthetically. I wouldn’t be surprised if In Dying Arms’s popularity were to shoot up thanks to Boundaries because there is just such a wide variety of styles which cater for most of the –core population. It’s a little hard to recommend tracks for Boundaries but; if you like atmosphere and beautiful melodic hardcore I’d recommend “Blind to the truth”, hardened deathcore fans should check out the track “Bathed in Salt” and if you want the best of both worlds you cannot go past “Dominus” or “The Core of My Existence”. It’s tough rating Boundaries because at times I thought the music was worth 16/20 and other times I thought 18/20…so 17/20 is what I give for In Dying Arm’s Boundaries.