Album Details

• Artist: Into The Moat
• Album: The Campaign
• Label: Metal Blade
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2009-04-11

Florida's own Into The Moat have been kicking up the dirt for most of the century so far, and have found a steady home with Metal Blade records. The Campaign is their sophomore release and offers the average metal fan much to behold, from a jarring sound direction to a conceptual theme surrounding the conflicts and consequences of warfare throughout history. I have no lyrics sheet on hand (and the vocals themselves are only somewhat ledgible, even to a practiced listener of the commonly-termed "cookie monster" vocal styles), but this theme appeals to me very much. I just wish I knew what was being discussed, beyond gaining a glimpse of the ideas from song titles such as "From 1,000 Meters", "The Fuhrer" and "The Siege Of Orleans".

Into The Moat's sound is a cross between sludgy, bottom-heavy southern metal and a more complex, technical death metal edge, all of which show themselves mainly in the riffs of Kit Wray. They never sit still and, consequencely, often don't get a chance to flesh themselves out, leaving most of The Campaign enjoyable to a smaller possible audience. You'll know exactly if you're apart of that crowd after the mellow interlude of opener "The Last Century" breaks into a drilling, energized mid-paced stomp. Or, more likely, it'll take a trip through such tracks as "Advocate v. Activist" and it's myriad twists and turns that see it go from a grinder to a lead-heavy melodic meltdown, only to re-emerge somewhere in Meshuggah territory. In fact, those Swedish masters might be the best comparison point for this group; on many occasions the layered textures of their sound create a discordant spiraling-out of riffs and beats that seem unfitting but rattle the listener into paying closer attention. You'll want to stick around until closer "The Hermit", because it has to be the best track here, not offering much more than the rest but taking all of Into The Moat's strengths and fitting the pieces together just right.

Not at all a bad album, but simply one that's marketable solely to a select audience who enjoy down-tuned, lead-heavy death metal that switches pace and position more than a little. For those with short attention spans, you may want to take this one on with a clear mind. Otherwise, you could be in for an above-average slam-fest on The Campaign. I still want a lyric sheet! 

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