The lugubrious Jeremy Garner had a few choice words for Burial Within circa the release of last year’s self-titled demo. While I’m not familiar with the Tennesseans initial demonstration, the three-song Demo 2007 appears to be better than the one that came before it. And, in effect, can be deemed gritty deathcore that is a promising entry into a subgenre that is only gaining in popularity. However, don’t expect much in the way of newness.

Mr. Garner, who’s probably a tougher sell than I am and doesn’t share the same affinity for this style as I do, brought up Cephalic Carnage in the previous Burial Within review, which is an apt comparison in part. There are moments in “Providence,” “Denouement,” and “Dominion’s End” that remind moi of said Coloradans – tones, breakdowns, et cetera – despite a production at least a tad similar to Gorguts’s Obscura, even if it’s also a bit clearer. Still, though, the bass drop in “Providence” and the melodies in the mid-section of “Denouement” should lead one to believe that BW ostensibly align and associate themselves with the deathcore crowd.

There’s definitely talent on display here, but Demo 2007 is the type of record that is pretty good, but not worth a large amount of investigative effort. Perhaps Burial Within will harness their momentum to create a superior follow-up, while this will hopefully come to be known as the proverbial stepping stone.