Ruins - Place of No Pity (2013)

Hellhammer and Celtic Frost have undoubtedly influenced several generations of extreme metal artists, in terms of their oppressive, heavy riffing and morbid lyrical concepts; but one component you more rarely hear emulated is the vocal style of Tom G. Warrior. Sure, Monotheist and Triptykon form the natural extension of that, but as one who isn't partial so much to that last act's songwriting and riff construction, I'm glad to find other venues. The foremost would be Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone who puts his own spin on the style (especially in the collaboration outfit Sarke), but there's another down under who have been kicking out such leering jams for about eight years, and that is Australia's Ruins, project of Alex Pope and Psycroptic skin punisher David Haley. Place of No Pity is the duo's fourth full-length effort, and one of their best to date.

Think if Warrior's throaty, tortured and crumbling vocals were placed in a Scandinavian black metal milieu circa the mid 90s and you'll draw a pretty good sonic picture of this album. The chord textures are just as often harmonic as they are dissonant, and there's a good deal of variation between tracks which helps pad out the potentially oppressive 60 minute duration. The riffing isn't the most complex available to the black metal fan, and a lot of the groovier songs (like the 9 1/2 minute title track) definitely summon up comparisons to acts like Khold, or the last few Satyricon records, but by no means is Ruins limiting itself to just these sorts of tempos. You'll find Haley unleashed on plenty of blast beats throughout, and the burlier tracks feature enough contrast between slower and faster material that one won't quickly become exhausted by the ceaseless repetition which has plagued a lot of black metal records these past 20 years. The leads fulfill a number of good melodies, and the band's pretty flexible between the more open, atmospheric chord-driven progressions to some tightened, thrash-based riffing; Dave's brother Joe is playing alongside Pope here, and the two are definitely a solid pairing capable of texture and dynamic range.

Place of No Pity is hardly some paragon of lo fidelity grimness, preferring instead to work with a brazen, professional sounding production that allows the chords to shine and the depth of each instrument to stand against the others. For instance, the bass here, while not intensely deviant from the rhythm guitar patterns, has a pretty distinct presence beneath the brighter, thinner tone of the chords. The drums are intensely level and never smothered by the riffing, and the vocals perfectly placed so that they only vaguely dominate the mix. This is not an album sounding as if it were recorded on a 4-track behind a dilapidated garage, so there's always a chance it might turn off some of the purists seeking that sort of sound; but anyone into the higher budget Norse, Swedish or Finnish black metal of the past 15 years will probably dig that the band qualifies such sleek recording standards. Ruins is hardly composing the most immortal riffs out there, but this is nearly in league with 2009's Front the Final Foes, a fine album itself, and I personally enjoy how they confirm speculations of what a Frost-like sound can evolve into, without the excessively raspy or hoarse guttural vocals you generally expect in extreme metal. A good band deserving more attention than they've yet received.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://www.facebook.com/ruins666

Ruins - Chambers of Perversion EP (2010)

Far be it for me to miss an album called Satanic Bitchpenetration, but in this case, miss it I did, and thus prolonged my exposure to the grimy German motherfucker known as Ruins. Well, my ignorance in this matter has come to an end, and I have found sufficient violation of my earspace in the 2010 EP Chambers of Perversion, a cheerfully unholy abomination of black, thrash and punk riffs with some of the most sick, splattering vocals I've had the honor of experiencing in some years. Seriously, think what might occur if early Corrosion of Conformity (the Animosity EP), Bathory (pre-Blood Fire Death) and Voivod (first two albums) collided into a vortex of whores, guts and each of the seven major sins in no particular sequence!

Know Ruins, know Chambers of Perversion, and know about 18 minutes of life that you'll simply never want back. Good, not so friendly, filthy fun, from malevolent blaze of the title track, "Slaves of the Undead", "Sodomy in Hell" and "Slutlust and Perversion", to the wailing lead of "Primitive Evil", and the impressive, more serious mood of "War in Heaven Pt. 4 (Perversion)". I just love the reverb used over the churning riffs in that one while the vocals slather and smear their foul libations upon the listener's ear. I must say, that for a work borne of some predictable punkish/thrash riffs and little subtlety, it's amazingly infectious. Like at any brothel of ill repute, you are unlikely to enter this wretched maw and come away with nothing but your good health. You're sure to experience a relapse to the beloved disgust you once felt for Under the Sign of the Black Mark, Latex Cult and the Deathcrush EP.

And if that's not a glaring enough recommendation, why are you reading my reviews? Ruins is well worth a purchase to any fan of the most raunchy, rude, counterproductive blasphemy on Earth, a source of inevitable amusement to the twisted and distraught. Acquire the original 10" or the CD re-issue on Negative Existence in any way possible. Thank you for your time. Oh, and before I forget. Die!

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

http://www.myspace.com/ruins666

Ruins - Front the Final Foes (2009)

Front the Final Foes is the third full-length from Australian Ruins, a band boasting several members of Psycroptic/The Amenta that performs a more blackish style of metal. Previous albums Spun Forth as Dark Nets and Cauldron were enjoyable, but I feel a sense of power and refinement with this new album that was lacking before.

Alex Pope's vocals on this release sound like a direct, Cro-Magnon ancestor of Thomas G. Warrior (Celtic Frost). Most of the tracks move at a mid pace, but create intense, mighty grooves not unlike those on the past few Satyricon albums. "Breath of Void" grinds over you like a tank, manned by demons, its armour nicked and rusted by the constant scouring of hellish winds, traversing the abyss towards its next inevitable battle. "The Sum of Your Loss" is slower, groovier. Better. That one bent note in the breakdown is perfectly placed. "Cult Rapture" creates a mystique that transforms into a punishing blast and back again. Ditto for "Annihilate". Another great track is the concrete peeling "Hallways of the Always", a blunt, daemonic, erosive force.

The album is not just punishing for its songs, but the sound is like a hammer to the back of the cranium. Loud and well-mixed, the vocals resound over the precise guitars, turbulent bass and the ballistic drumming. The riffs are simple but the songs crush consistently, and the entire album is swathed in a violent, inescapable atmosphere. This is a strong record and well worth the time if you enjoy Satyricon, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, and other slower black metal.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

http://www.ruinsband.com/