Ruins – Front the Final Foes
“Front the Final Foes” struck me instantly as a modern take (a very full production gives this album a slick presentation) on an ancient death/black metal journey. Very memorable riffing allows the hooks to set deep within the mind and allows the drummer to explore some creative fills and percussive flair. Tom Warrior tinged vocal yells keep the lyrical delivery simplistic, though no less potent as tense string bends/riffs as found on “The Sum of Your Loss” lay down a head nodding groove before piling on the tension with crisp and exact sounding blast beats that effortlessly slide in for dynamics. This release is predominantly mid-paced in delivery, but is so well written, that other tempo shifts come and go, skillfully empowering the movement and dimension within the songwriting. “Cult Rapture” is a definite favorite of mine, with it’s pulsating riff work and powerful picking style that erodes into dissonant black metal chording. Ruins Doesn’t strike me as necessarily death, or black metal… rather this duo is a mighty union of both styles with an unquenchable thirst for catchy songwriting served up by way of the late 80’s, early 90’s. Very well done. I’ll definitely be digging back into their catalog to see if the quality can be found lurking there as well. –Marty
Debemur Morti Productions
Worm Gear 