ALBUM REVIEW: Amidst Voices That Echo In Stone – Ominous Ruin

Thinking 2021 has been a bit quiet so far? Nothing horrible enough to distract you from that sense of impending doom? Well OMINOUS RUIN’s second studio album will remedy that for you. Brutal, hard-hitting and doom-filled, Amidst Voices That Echo In Stone is another fine effort from the San Francisco technical death metal crew. Whilst it’s an album that won’t sway anyone’s opinion on death metal – it’s not particularly accessible, nor does it revolutionise the genre – it’s a fine example of how talented underground bands can be, and how often talent goes unrecognised.

It’s a refreshing change from a lot of death metal to hear the band play with dynamics in the very first song, Ritual, which goes from blast beats, to an almost gentle guitar lick, before finalising up with an epic guitar solo which is almost worthy of being in the DRAGONFORCE catalogue. This album is clearly a showcase for every member of the band to demonstrate their skills, and guitarists Alex Bacey and Petr Oplatka do not hesitate in throwing in some incredible solos, as well as creating a dark sense of animosity on Attuned To The Chasm, by alternating pitch.

A lot of credit also has to be given to OMINOUS RUIN’s rhythm section, consisting of bassist Mitch Yoesle and drummer Andrew Baird, who manage to keep the songs flowing at a blistering pace even while their colleagues veer off in all sorts of directions with solos. Baird in particular sounds like an absolute machine, with his double kick absolutely kicking the listener in the shins with the pure speed he puts in.

Vocalist Adam Rosado is nothing but consistent throughout, and while he might not bring anything hugely different from his contemporaries in the death metal scene, he does a great job of imbibing the songs with a real sense of menace. There are also numerous guest vocal appearances throughout this record from all sorts, including; Jade Ordonez (ARCANE EXISTENCE) and Crystal Rose on Deception, Kris Cana from SYMBIOTIC on Chrysalis of Flesh and Julian Zidarevich of BLACK PASSAGE on Labyrinthine Torment. This guest appearances really add a new flavour to Amidst Voices That Echo In Stone, and hearing the additional vocals really elevates this record, and makes it far more refreshing on a re-listen.

There are some really excellent attempts at creating atmosphere through the use of loud-quiet dynamics, but they aren’t given quite enough time to breathe. For example, on Deception there is a moment of almost silence before the band breaks back into their punishing pace, however a few more seconds of introspection could have really given a unique quality to this track. Nonetheless, the attempts are there and hopefully it is something that OMINOUS RUIN will play with more on future releases.

This album also does flow very well as one piece of music. There are transitions between most songs, and it really adds an element of craftsmanship when an album is designed to be listened to in full rather than as a collection of songs. The outro of Deception turning into the into riff on Chrysalis of Flesh for example is a fantastic way to transition into a new song.

Overall this is a good death metal album – not one that necessarily does anything completely new, but nonetheless for fans of the genre will be a good time. The dynamics that the band play with aren’t completely perfect yet, but they do an excellent job in making this album more atmospheric – especially on the intro to the title track, which really hits the listener like a truck when the full band come in. This is a good stepping stone for OMINOUS RUIN to work forward from.

Rating: 6/10

Amidst Voices That Echo In Stone is set for release February 26th via Willowtip Records. 

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