Endrone - The Sins Within

I’ve never met a single person that knows about Endrone. And to be honest, I’m not all that surprised. The band was really underground and they didn’t last that long. One thing is for sure, I’ve been listening to them for four years and they’re still one of the heaviest metalcore bands in my collection. Not only that, they do sound quite similar to Mnemic, another HEAVY metalcore band in my collection, which means that Mnemic fans will find Endrone easily pleasurable. But even though these guys are heavy as fuck and are very similar to Mnemic, don’t expect something TOO mind-blowing. I read in an interview of one of the members after the band split by a huge fan that although Endrone was all about creating quality music that was original and (of course) really heavy, the band had the really immature hope of getting almost instantly noticed by record labels and obtaining success. Yes, there’s been plenty of bands whose popularity seems to EXPLODE the instant they release their debut album, but that’s usually because of being in the right place at the right time and being signed on to the right label at that right time…in the right place. Endrone seemed to just expect it to happen on its own, which isn’t something that’s worth breaking up over if it doesn’t happen.

Even though there were other complications and issues that caused the breakup, Endrone’s record still remains on my computer and hasn’t been forgotten by me. Ok, now that I’ve gotten sidetracked enough, I need to do what I’ve come here to do, tell you about the album and whether it’s worth your time or not. The short answer is that it is very much worth your time. I know that I keep dwelling on the fact of how HEAVY these guys are, but that’s because one of the main goals of this review is to get that point across and understood (believe me, there’s A LOT of you out there that have really thick skulls). Let’s start with a dissection of the first song, The Sins Within. You can tell by just hearing the opening guitar riff that this is something heavier than the traditional metalcore sound. The guitar distortion isn’t super crunchy, but it has a very loud, punchy sound.

The drums and the vocals are mostly what gives Endrone their heavy sound. In the title track, listen to how LOUD the kick drums are! Obviously this was done on purpose to intensify the music, but they tuned the kick drums in such a way that it pummels your eardrums, but doesn’t drown everything out. Also, the kick drums are turned down during some parts that don’t need to be as heavy. Also, the vocals are really nasty mid-range screams, which is EXACTLY what a metalcore band needs to do if they want to sound as heavy as possible. But the vocalist also expresses his ability to let out high-pitched screams and to sing a lot like the Mnemic vocalist (probably unintentional, but I’ll never know for sure). Those are the parts that sound speak MNEMIC whenever they come on, the really soft and melodic parts (usually the choruses). The best example of this is the song I Admire, which is also my favorite track off the album.

One element that pops up a lot in this album is a hint of nu metal. I’m not talking about the Limp Bizkit/Rage Against the Machine kind of nu metal, I’m talking about the kind that Drowning Pool (post-Sinner era), Korn, and Deftones create. The really atmospheric and somewhat melodic, but still crushingly heavy. Also, there are several industrial metal influences that I can hear, although I can’t name any specific artists that could have possibly influenced their sound. But is this album worth your time? Fuck yes it is. This album is metalcore, but is packed with influences from nu metal, industrial metal, and alternative rock. Still being one of the heaviest metalcore albums I’ve ever heard in my life, The Sins Within gets a score of 15/20, which is a really good score for an underground metalcore band. Don’t expect any future activity from Endrone, but you should at least have The Sins Within for your metalcore collection because it’s easily a piece of audible art like no other.