WUTHERING HEIGHTS - WITHIN - 1999

Within is the debut of Wuthering Heights. The albums that were released after this one, especially their last CD Far from the Madding Crowd, got more attention, but I still enjoy Within the most out of all three albums.

Why? Because Within is their most progressive album and it has Kristian Andren on vocals from Tad Morose, Fifth Reason and Memento Mori. I think Andren is such a phenomenal singer, it does take time to get used to his singing but the three Tad Morose albums he sang on are all one of a kind dark prog metal masterpieces. Although he also sang on Wuthering Heights' second disc To Travel for Evermore, that album being a bit too power metal, I think Within has the biggest appealing factor for me.

Guitarist Erik Ravn has written all lyrics and composed all the music with the exception of two tracks which he co-wrote with other musicians. Seeing the band got its name from famous English novelist Emily Bronte, it comes as no surprise to see that the lyrics stem from English literature. While overall Within could be categorised as a power-prog metal album, the lyrics on the CD are far from the fantasy lyrics talking about dragons or kingdoms fighting each other. On the contrary, they are thought-provoking. I quite enjoy Ravn's poetry, especially "The Wanderer's Farewell".

The songs that were penned solely by Erik Ravn have a power-prog feel to them employing some folk elements (though no where near as much as the ones on their last album), neoclassical leads and power/speed metal riffs. The keyboards serve the purpose of setting the tone but they are used finely according to the context of the songs. Much to my dismay this album has the weakest production of the three. The guitar work falls short on production at times and I think they could have used Kristan Andren's vocals a bit more efficiently. The long instrumentals and interplay between keys and guitars sound a tad flat and there is not much room for Kristian to showcase his full talents.

Tracks 4 and 5, "Sorrow in Memoriam" and "Dreamwalker", are definitely the strongest moments on this album, especially since these two songs comprise nearly half of the running time of the entire disc. "Dreamwalker" is the longest song of Wuthering Heights, it clocks in at over 13 minutes and is still my favourite Wuthering Heights song. Its epic length, detailed solos and Andren's expressive vocals in the chorus is amazing. "Sorrow in Memoriam" is the second longest track on the album and perhaps the proggiest. The minimal addition of violin and flute that run through the composition gives this tune its own vibe. The structure of the song is very unorthodox and I really like the contrast and dynamics brought into the focus of the track. Interestingly enough, it is these two songs that were co-written with others. It is my understanding that these co-writers had a more progressive songwriting mindset which Erik Ravn melted with his own folky/speedy power metal leanings.

"Hunter in the Dark" is the most power metal tune with its symphonic elements and Andren even portraying a less sublime vocal style. "The Bird" and "The Wanderer's Farewell" are both lyrically challenging but for a talented singer like Kristian Andren it must have been a piece of cake to come up with the right vocal melodies.

Chances of you digging this album are if you're more on the prog side of the equation than power metal. If you however like a more original type of power metal then you should look for their last two albums, especially Far from the Madding Crowd.
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