ALBUM REVIEW: The Rock of the Clyde – Ruadh
Tom Perrett isn’t messing about. It feels like only a few weeks ago the man behind Scottish atmospheric black metal project RUADH released the band’s debut album Sovereign, but already he is back with The Rock of the Clyde. Thematically delving into the ancient and forgotten history of Scotland, The Rock of the Clyde is a noticeable progression from Sovereign – but is this sonic evolution going to work in favour of RUADH, or is The Rock of the Clyde destined for obscurity?
You couldn’t ask for a more fitting start to The Rock of the Clyde than Embers. Ten minutes on the button, Embers covers a lot of ground with its extensive run time, and really showcases all of the nuggets of brilliance that await further in the record. At points it is a visceral display of Scottish black metal, but there is more than just blast beats and tremolo riffs to dig into here. Ritualistic clean singing lifts the atmosphere wonderfully, while big, IRON MAIDEN-esque leads bring an instantly memorable sense of melody into play. An emotive, softer middle section touches the soul, before Perrett drives Embers to its close with ever-growing melody and atmosphere. An emotionally exhausting start, and there’s still a lot of ground to cover.
The Rock of the Clyde‘s title track is a different beast entirely. Folky hooks permeate through the music while Perrett forgoes his blackened barks in favour of truly stunning clean singing – his choral refrain of “The rock of the clyde!” sounding not too distant from a forgotten vocal track of IRON MAIDEN‘s Bruce Dickinson, while the music takes on a grandiose, emotionally charged feel. That is, until the full weight of RUADH‘s black metal roots crash down, driving the title track to its close with some harmonised lead work Adrian Smith and Dave Murray would be proud of. Meanwhile, Winter’s Light manages to carry both some of the most abrasive and melodic moments of the entire record, perfectly encapsulating the duality of RUADH.
However, for all the strength The Rock of the Clyde has delivered thus far, Fields of Heather is a whole new level. Carrying the combined weight of all the visceral emotion RUADH have displayed across the record, Fields of Heather spends much of its opening half eviscerating the listener with melodic black metal ferocity and raw, emotional depth in equal measure. The break, which sees Perrett again flex his clean vocal strength, offers a lovely chance to catch your breath, before some lead work ripped straight from IRON MAIDEN‘s playbook offers a nice flourish, and RUADH bring all these elements together for a glorious close. With all the stopping power of a schiltron, and then some, Fields of Heather is a clear highlight from The Rock of the Clyde.
Closing off The Rock of the Clyde is the two-parter, Only Distant Echoes Reign. This first part – serving almost as an introduction to part two – is a stunning display of melody, drowning the listener at every turn in a harrowing sense of melancholy. Once more, Perrett opts for a clean vocal delivery amid the folk-heavy first part, his soft voice further covering Only Distant Echoes Reign in a thick layer of despair like a haar rolling off the sea, leading into a truly beautiful string section that start part two. It doesn’t take long for the blackened elements to crash back in, however the bittersweet sense of misery is still at the forefront of RUADH‘s emotional delivery. There is a lovely interplay throughout Only Distant Echoes Reign between the hugely emotive melodies and the more visceral evisceration of the black metal foundation in the sound. This dancing between sonic approaches continues, leading The Rock of the Clyde to its sombre close.
The Rock of the Clyde is an incredible achievement for RUADH. Carving out a very distinctive identity, its clear that Perrett has struck gold with his evolution from Sovereign. Throughout the record, RUADH captures Scotland, creating a perfect sonic representation of the nation – the brutality of the history of Scotland is omnipresent, as is the great sadness and despair. But more than that, amid the melancholy and black metal aggression, there is a very real sense of beauty running throughout The Rock of the Clyde. This is the most emotionally touching black metal album of the year thus far, and a true masterclass of atmospheric black metal. Saor Alba.
Rating: 10/10
The Rock of the Clyde is set for release May 22nd via Northern Silence Productions.
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