ALBUM REVIEW: Ruins – Burial Hordes
In the incredibly storied history of Greek black metal, BURIAL HORDES are one of its more distinct acts. Eschewing the warmer, melody driven approach of many of the country’s most well known bands, the Athenian quartet lean far more prominently into the denser, fiercer side of black metal, with a solid death metal influence informing their sound. It’s turned them into arguably one of the most ferocious acts within the Hellenic underground, seemingly going from strength to strength with each subsequent record. Their latest, fifth full-length Ruins sees the band craft an even leaner, sharper sound than ever before, with the end result being not only their best work so far, but easily their most creatively imaginative.
In The Midst Of A Vast Solitude goes straight for the jugular, with buzz-saw guitars, frenetic drumming and dense, growling vocals all creating a razor sharp, aggressive sound that is blisteringly fast immediately. The monolithic interlude in the middle of this track provides an atmospheric break from the onslaught, giving this first song an eclectic and imaginative feel. Insubstantial, with its thick, rumbling bass and galloping drums, is a mid-paced but effective slab of blackened death metal that again accentuates the cavernous elements within the band’s sound. There are a few driven, chaotic bursts peppered throughout for good measure, showing that even at their most reserved, this band are capable of creating monstrous, punchy music.
Perish, another unflinchingly cacophonous and belligerent aural assault, is interspersed with ethereal, sinister melodic flourishes that add a bleak character to its more reserved moments, brilliantly tying together the band’s savage and dramatic qualities for a punishing and visceral offering that is incredibly immersive from start to finish. Wandering Stream Of Wind, by contrast, is a ponderous, brooding number with a solid groove and dark, haunting leads, making room for a few angular, biting riffs and the as always booming, bestial vocals to keep this song partially anchored in the harsher side of the band’s sound, once again being a powerful and catchy statement.
Infinite Sea Of Nothingness blends the band’s more visceral, speed-driven approach and the mesmerising slower elements, with huge, droning rhythms and thunderous percussion providing an ominous component to the music before lurching into a feral, lean piece of death metal with some excellent, eerie hooks. It ebbs and flows between the two with ease, which makes this far more diverse and captivating. Isotropic Eradication is an impressive, slow-burning affair that utilises an acidic, disjointed guitar sound, injecting a new, discordant element into the band’s sound that adds an unpredictable, rabid feel to the more bellicose passages of this song. The drums, leads and vocals contribute a sense of urgency and jarring aggression to the mix, making this offering stand out for all the right reasons.
This underlying dissonance is carried forward into Purgation, another track that sees the melodic touches that underpinned the album’s first half almost completely stripped away, with the leads matching the jarring rhythms and monstrous roar of the vocals better than at any point on the record, complementing rather than counterpointing the unerring ferocity of the rest of the music. …To The Threshold Of Silence sees the crawling, sombre guitar sound return, with a steadier drum beat and more spartan vocals creating a stark contrast to the song’s more bombastic closing moments. Where much of this album relies on energetic pace and fierce intensity to make these songs leave an impression on the listener, the brilliance of this track lies in its gradual build from a fairly minimalist, dramatic piece of music to its denser but nonetheless reserved final moments, capping this album off in a way that is distinct from the seven tracks that preceded it.
A lot of albums that lean heavily into a singularly fast and aggressive style have a tendency to become a bit bland and stale as they progress as the same formula is employed over and over. This is one of those few exceptions where the cohesive ferocity of the music actually sounds fantastic, with BURIAL HORDES managing to incorporate subtle flourishes and musical shifts to ensure that each of these songs is a stand out track in its own right, whilst contributing to the overall effect of the record. Comparing this album directly with the band’s last few records, it’s clear that BURIAL HORDES are only getting better as the years pass, with this easily being their most consistently tight and adventurous album to date.
Rating: 9/10
Ruins is out now via Transcending Obscurity Records.
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