Formed by drummer Kevin McGuill and guitarist Joe Cocchi while the pair were still in high school, Within the Ruins got their start in Westfield, Massachusetts in 2003. Though the band has gone through a number of lineup changes since their inception, with founders McGuill and Cocchi being the only longstanding members, they eventually settled into a lineup rounded out by bassist Andrew Tate and singer Tim Goergen.nn With an intense deathcore sound that merges metalcore's intensity with technical, detuned guitar wizardry, the band was picked up by Victory Records, who released their full-length debut, Creature, in 2009, followed quickly by their sophomore effort, Invade, the next year. The band switched to eOne for third album Elite, which arrived in 2013; it became their first album to hit the main albums chart. A year later, the band was back with Phenomena, also on eOne. Paolo Galang replaced Tate on bass during 2015, and the band recorded their fifth album Halfway Human for an early 2017 release. ~ Gregory Heaney