Of the very few doom bands in the Christian Market today, I'd say Paramaecium is my favorite. They somehow manage to blend harmonic melodies with completely brutal metal. This album differs from its predecessor in the fact that it backs off from death metal a little bit, where Exhumed of the Earth is predominately slow, death metal, Within carries on that style, while adding melodies and more diversity to the music. The incorporation of flutes, harpsichords, and vocals sung rather than growled, adds a completely new dimension to doom/death metal and makes this album a classic. My favorite tracks are the last two "Darkness Dies", and "In my Darkest Hour". The first is very brutal from start to finish, while the second is very soft and beautiful in the beginning, then swelling to a big finish. I like this album a lot, however there is one slight drawback. Being from the death metal genre, vocalist Andrew Tompkins' clean vocs are at times hard to listen to, but vastly improve on their next album A Time to Mourn. Overall, this is a great doom metal release, and my favorite by this band.
9/10
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by sesspoolHere we have a concept album... the entire concept being Andrew Tompkin's rip-off novel titled the same. If anyone has ever read fantasy (or has been for a while) then they have undoubtedly read the classic about the boy who must travel to the tree and seek life... (the name and author elude me at this moment... i'm so horrible with those...) here Andrew blatantly and horribly rips off a great…Similar sounding releases
2005Pale HorseUntil the Last Seal Is Opened...
1999ZaoLiberate Te Ex Inferis
1996Frank's EnemyNeoblasphemies
2001Brain:FAQBrainstorming
2005Doug PinnickEmotional Animal
1994GodfleshSelflessMore from Paramaecium
1999A Time to Mourn
1991Silent Carnage
1993Exhumed of the Earth
1997Repentance
2004Echoes From The Ground
