ALBUM REVIEW: The Thule Grimoires – The Ruins Of Beverast
Four years on from the excellent Exuvia, Alexander Von Meilenwald has set the darkest part of his mind loose once more and released The Thule Grimoires, the sixth outing for his single-handed project THE RUINS OF BEVERAST. With a spotless reputation for putting out some of the highest quality in blackened-doom murk, can this new release possibly measure up to what has gone before?
The album opens with Ropes Into Eden, sporting a suitably frost-rimed introduction before crashing headlong into a typically thick riff and a selection of throatier, more traditionally black metal howls than Von Meilenwald usually sports. Following this is standard RUINS OF BEVERAST fare, with grimy doom passages and bludgeoning blast beats interspersed with unnerving, esoteric passages. Already this album seems to have a colder, bleaker and more barren feel than their previous work.
This is further explored in The Tundra Shines. This track sports an atmospheric introduction so cold that improper exposure to it could probably kill. It then dissolves into a mid paced assault of atmospheric doom overlaid with ominous ritualistic chants, culminating in a triumphant yet overwhelmingly morose finish, which absolutely glows with misanthropic furor.
The album truly comes into its own at the mark of the third track Kromlec’h Knell. Distant guitar lines with a somewhat eastern feel clinging like cave mould to the sonorous doom passages that form the structure of the track. Clean vocal stylings are revealed at points, lending an rare and almost tender cadence to the half-psychedelic guitar work woven throughout. The effect of this is that for the first time the listener can catch glimpses of emotional maturity in the distance, like distant burning torches on this solemn sojourn across the sonic tundra Von Meilenwald has created. This is utilised to enormous effect and as such this will likely rank amongst the band’s most fondly remembered moments.
Following this comes the absurdly titled Mammothpolis. This track absolutely drips with atmosphere.
It feels like a fever dream rising from a night spent in impossible cold. It is a gradual build shrouded with a dreamlike haze and largely clean vocals, to which comparison to Peter Steele could be drawn. It is a solid effort, largely out-shadowed however by what comes next.
Anchoress In Furs is excellent and contains all the classic RUINS OF BEVERAST hallmarks: enormous, angular riffs, unrelenting drumwork and hypnotic melodies all coalescing into a labyrinthine prism of forbidden ritualistic noise. A special mention is to be given to the vocal performance here. Von Meilenwald exhibits possibly his personal best example of melodic, almost Gregorian sounding chants and deep, skull-rattling roars. It also feeds perfectly into the following track Polar Hiss Hysteria, which follows similar themes but adds some harsher Black Metal inspired vocals, excellent guitar leads and brief moments of triumphant reflection to its faster paced (but by no means less crushing) ensemble.
Finally, We come to Deserts To Bind And Defeat. Opening with a slow but inexorable climb through an introduction as cold and hard as permafrost, we plateau into a TRIPTYKON-esque passage of emotionally bereft singing, mingling with its Gothic backing to create something which is nothing short of menacing. The timbre become more pronounced and aggressive, building to a brief, haunting interlude before slamming back into focus with some of the album’s fastest and most threatening riffs yet. It then gradually winds down, losing speed and aggression before fading to a truly unnerving speech draped in spine-tingling samples, then simply blinking out.
THE RUINS OF BEVERAST are not the band they once were. However, this is not stated in a critical fashion, as the evolutionary state of the project is palpable here. The depth of the song-writing and musicianship is fantastic, playing havoc with the imagination of the listener. From a technical standpoint, there are no weak links. The production is excellent and adds a high level of polish to the album, revealing intricacies that may have otherwise been lost. The Thule Grimoires showcases a matured RUINS OF BEVERAST; it feels more like a structured cult experience as opposed to the wide-eyed, frothing zealotry of their earlier works. Mr. Von Meilenwald is clearly stepping up his game and fans of both soul-crushing doom and ruinous black metal should be watching him very closely indeed.
Rating: 8/10
The Thule Grimoires is set for release on February 5th via Ván Records.
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