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A sick sounding EP for the most part with some confusion in the rest.-
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| Ruins: Chambers of Perversion |
Black Metal, Death Metal
Negative Existence
May 20th, 2011
- Chambers of Perversion - 1:53
- Slaves of the Undead - 2:56
- Primitive Evil - 1:52
- War in Heaven Part 4 (Megalomania) - 3:17
- Sodomy in Hell - 3:00
- Slutlust and Perversion - 2:39
- Perverting the Priest - 2:16
- Sperm of the Antichrist - 3:00
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| Review Information |
Release length: 20:52
Review posted on August 28th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 8/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Satanic Bitchpenetration (2008)
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| EP(s): |
Chambers of Perversion (2010)
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| Split(s): |
Hellraging Hell Metal (2009) • Front Beast/Ruins (2010) • Towards the Altar (2010)
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| Demo(s): |
Baptised in the Name of Satan (2006) • Bloodstorms of Hell (2007)
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| Compilation(s): |
Baptized in Hell (2008)
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| Review |
Chambers of Perversion marks the first EP for the German Black/Death Metal Ruins. After a number of splits and a full-length recording, those with their ears to the underground have definitely taken notice of this vile Metal act, and for good reason. While not much is really known of the group and it's members, many of the releases have earned rather high reviews from both fans of the styles, as well as critics. With Chambers of Perversion, Ruins seeks to issue what could possibly be their most disgusting effort yet, as well as the second of [at the time of this review] three releases to carry this band's name this year alone. But, does this wind up working for the band, or is it possible Ruins spread the material a little too thin on this EP?
With only eight tracks clocking in at just over twenty minutes, fans of Ruins can already gasp what this release has in store for them. Musically, Ruins is still a mixture of that first wave Black Metal sound popularized by bands like Venom, having that early Thrash sound to the material while still keeping a little early Death Metal sound to it. The audio quality matches that sound well with it's more raw quality and heavy echo effects that sound far more analog and as if recorded back in the early eighties during the NWOBHM onslaught, but more for an underground label. The audio has a little bit of a white noise to it that gives off more of a cassette feel, yet the guitars still sound pretty loud, coming in clearer like a rawer recording slapped onto a CD. The bass itself is pretty dominant in the mix, and can sometimes really overtake the guitars, which sounds great, though it gives them room to strength their strings during the guitar solos which are clearly louder and have a heavier Thrash feel to them. The drums are as clear as the other two, having the snares pretty distinctive and weak with a good thud to the kicks while the cymbols chime through nice but not quite as loud as one would hope. The instruments do sound a bit further back due to the audio quality, but the overall intensity and speed of the tracks makes up for the lack of impact the instruments have because of this. The vocals stand out though thanks to their dirtier rhaspy approach and heavy echo, an effect that isn't really used as much on the instruments but should have, allowing them to be a little louder in the mix and help establish that vile atmosphere to the EP's far more aggressive and furious atmosphere.
For the most part, the material here comes at the listener full-speed. Many of these songs are usually accompanied by a "sinister" sounding growl, roar, or moan, all meant to establish some additional atmosphere thanks to often being altered or distorted in some way. These often do work, such as the start to "Chambers of Perversion", though this one does take a little longer to finish up and get to the music. The song's faster Thrashier pace really milks the aggression and early Metal sound well. This track also has that dirtier environment to it, but sadly it doesn't really carry into other songs. "Slaves of the Undead" s another entertaining track, but that dirtier, more vile and sinister atmosphere that kicked off Chambers of Perversion doesn't really show up here. Instead, the song seems to really take hold of the Crossover Thrash concept and leave behind a good amount of the first wave Black Metal approach, and the atmosphere is simply a modern recording altered to sound like something from the early eighties instead of sounding more like an authetic raw recording. It's moments like these that do end up killing the mood some tracks and the aforementioned vocal introductions establish, but at the same time these songs are not really bad and, like with "Slaves of the Undead", are actually solid songs themselves, just with a more out of place sound for this release.
Of all the songs on this EP, Ruins does journey into the slower material for a brief stint, and it's a bit of a mixed emotions ride. "War in Heaven Part 4 (Megalomania)" takes on more of that early second wave Black Metal sound, again kind of violating the atmosphere many other tracks have in a manner similar to "Slaves of the Undead", except with this one it's due to a more mystical and traditional Black Metal sound. Again the song is not bad, feeling out of place and using more vocal distortions in the song in a manner that feels a little pointless to give the boominf war atmosphere a bit more of a kick. The track also doesn't really seem to go anywhere and more an atmosphere-driven song then anything, which isn't bad but just can't seem to decide if it wasn't be sinister and crushing or more mystical in the sense of bands like Immortal. This is also the longest of the tracks, with "Sodomy in Hell" and "Sperm of the Antichrist" both clocking in at three minutes, earning them second place in track lengths. Luckily not all the long tracks here go that confusing slower pace, as "Sodomy in Hell" picks things up and feels like that dirty early first wave Black Metal and Thrash sound the EP started with on "Chambers of Perversion". The audio genuinely sounds raw, again there's some slight vocal distortions but they don't really feel tacked on with this song when they do hit, and the song just comes off a lot stronger and enjoyable in the long run, though you can't help but sometimes hear the lyrics and vocals of the song "Sodomy and Lust" throughout some parts.
It's also around the time of "Sodomy in Hell" that the album just sounds dirtier, which is a good thing. Ruins seems to kind of get lost in the more perverted sense of their lyrics and atmosphere after the title track "Chambers of Perversion", and sadly the EP does kind of suffer from it. The last four songs on here really go back to that environment that started off the EP, and it's a welcome move. "Slutlust and Perversion" is another dirty track that is well worth listening to, "Perverting the Priest" is not quite as strong but still has a good amount of early Black and Thrash thrown in but has more of a contemporary feel to the styles, and it all comes to an end with "Sperm of the Antichrist" which does feel somewhat dirtier, but also has that slightly sleeker atmosphere similar to "Slaves of the Undead" without really pushing into a Crossover Thrash sound.
At the end of the day, Chambers of Perversion is a solid effort that blends more of a first wave Black Metal sound with a heavy early Thrash influence. There's not much Death Metal input to be found this time around, though it is there at times. The EP has a number of solid tracks that are quite impressive, a handful that are pretty good, and one that simply does not live up to the rest of the release. If you're already a fan of Ruins, you'll warmingly embrace this EP like many of their other works, or even if you're just a fan of the underground Black Metal scene. There's nothing really wrong with the release, and fans of early Metal will definitely get a kick out of it, but what it all boils down to is that the atmospheres shift, and due to the audio quality the instruments sometimes don't pack enough of a punch to leave much of an impact with the listener. What Ruins does have going for this release is the blistering speeds of some songs, and the solid performances that appear through pretty much every track, leaving you with an EP that is worth at least sampling if you happen to have the chance.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Negative Existence.
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