Hailing from Timisoara, Romania, Within The Nova is a five-piece metal act that metalcore fans will do well to check out. The bands sound lies somewhere in-between Scar Symmetry and Sonic Syndicate, so if you dig these two acts then Within The Nova will appeal to you. There is a definite electronic flavor to the songs that keeps them from sounding like so many other metalcore releases. The riffs are chunky, the drums have a nice meaty sound to them and the female vocals courtesy of Diana Pascutiu are a breath of fresh air in a scene that is dominated my male vocalists. The tracks mostly follow a pattern of crunching screamed verses with melodic sung choruses (as is the metalcore way..). Keyboards are a prominent feature on the album, none more so than on track 2, Rogue Empire which is both catchy and memorable.

Opener Forsake The Crown and Enslaved are standout tracks for me with the former setting the tone for the album. The track Infinity has a little Nightwish flavor to it; very melodic, though I’m not entirely sure about the 80s synth keys on this track. Ground Zero has a little more urgency to it as does The Idealist and final song, The Realist, has a huge chorus and finishes the album on a solid note.

Within The Nova has some good ideas. There is variety to be found amongst the songs, this isn’t simply another linear metalcore release. The musicianship is good and Diana Pascutiu is a fine vocalist. infinite Cycles is a solid record and worth your time especially if you dig the above-mentioned bands.

Thanks to High Road Publicity for sending me this digital copy for review. \,,/