ALBUM REVIEW: At The Maw Of Ruin – Green Druid
There seems to be something in the water in Denver, Colorado when it comes to metal. From the cosmic explorations of BLOOD INCANTATION, the melodic shred of ALLEGAEON, the crushing heaviness of PRIMITIVE MAN or the majestic doom of KHEMMIS, the Mile High City has spawned some of the finest bands in our scene today. Looking to join their peers comes GREEN DRUID. After impressing with their 2018 full-length debut, Ashen Blood, sophomore effort At The Maw Of Ruin intends to see their blend of doom and psychedelic hit new heights. But does it deliver the goods?
At The Maw Of Ruin is a deeply layered album, a treasure trove of fuzzy goodness that shows that GREEN DRUID are so far beyond being just yet another typical doom band. Opening monolith The Forest Dark is the first major indicator that we’re onto something special here. A towering track weighing in at just over eleven minutes, ethereal and psychedelic riffs dance with some exquisite clean vocals, washing over you effortlessly, before the band dynamically evolve into a soundscape that has crawled out of the abyss itself as dense doom-driven riffs and twisted screams land a powerful punch. The way in which the band play with the tone and mood is simply stunning.
As At The Maw Of Ruin continues to unfold and present its offerings, GREEN DRUID just continue to impress. End of Men gets the balance of doom and psychedelic spot on and the way in which the band progressively build up the pace with subtle but effective temporary changes, which allows some outstanding riff work to shine brightly, is simply brilliant.
Meanwhile, A Throne Abandoned is more subdued in its nature but reaps the rewards of its enchanting presentation as the mesmerising clean vocal deliveries cut through the dense door riffs ever so effortlessly whilst Desert of Fury/Ocean of Despair comes flying out the gate at 100mph through a barrage of fuzzy riffs and vicious snarls. The placement here is absolutely perfect, injecting a very welcome bout of adrenaline into the latter stages of the record.
Weighing in at just over an hour, At The Maw Of Ruin is a colossal offering from GREEN DRUID. For some, the enormous runtime might be too much for the more casual listener but, give this record time and you’ll enjoy a rich, dynamic and memorable listening experience. Getting the balance between the gargantuan doom and mystical aura of psychedelia spot on, GREEN DRUID have capitalised on the promise shown on 2018’s debut and judging on the exquisite quality of At The Maw Of Ruin, great things lie just around the corner.
Rating: 8/10
At The Maw Of Ruin is out now via Earache Records.
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