For Ruin Obsidian
2006, Self-financed, demo
By Katalin Sipos
Obsidian, For Ruins third demo, was released last October. It took slightly more than a year for the band to come up with new material after Shade, and also proved a busy period with numerous gigs and an appearance on an unsigned-special CD by Terrorizer.
This new demo is again recorded, engineered and performed by John Murphy, and contains five songs; four new ones, and a re-work of Treading, that originally appeared on For Ruins first demo. Their style hasnt changed much although all hints of black metal have disappeared. Instead the band play the kind of mid-paced melodic death metal that is stuffed with heavy emotions, without being melancholic or depressing. But they do not fall into the trap of sounding like dozens of other melodic death metal bands, having a rawer and authentic style. Only Johns vocals remain influenced by black metal in places.
The demo kicks off with a two and a half minute long instrumental,December - a melodic, varied piece with an energetic and repetative guitar line. It sets the pace of the album perfectly. Next up, Wake sounds just like the continuation of December. I really like the homogeniety of their music, but the band manage to never be boring or play the same tunes over and over again. Nice melodies and great pulsating guitar lines are combined with aggression, and the result is dark, powerful music. The only element I think is missing is the Celtic we heard on Shade, but there is slight compensation in Treading when the mournful sound of a violin appears.
Obsidian is definitely a step forward compared to For Ruins previous work, and shows a settled style. Since this demo came out the band have released a live DVD, signed a record deal, and - if eveyrthing goes as planned - we will soon have their first full length album in our hands. Cannot wait!
Official For Ruin website
2006, Self-financed, demo
By Katalin Sipos
Obsidian, For Ruins third demo, was released last October. It took slightly more than a year for the band to come up with new material after Shade, and also proved a busy period with numerous gigs and an appearance on an unsigned-special CD by Terrorizer.
This new demo is again recorded, engineered and performed by John Murphy, and contains five songs; four new ones, and a re-work of Treading, that originally appeared on For Ruins first demo. Their style hasnt changed much although all hints of black metal have disappeared. Instead the band play the kind of mid-paced melodic death metal that is stuffed with heavy emotions, without being melancholic or depressing. But they do not fall into the trap of sounding like dozens of other melodic death metal bands, having a rawer and authentic style. Only Johns vocals remain influenced by black metal in places.
The demo kicks off with a two and a half minute long instrumental,December - a melodic, varied piece with an energetic and repetative guitar line. It sets the pace of the album perfectly. Next up, Wake sounds just like the continuation of December. I really like the homogeniety of their music, but the band manage to never be boring or play the same tunes over and over again. Nice melodies and great pulsating guitar lines are combined with aggression, and the result is dark, powerful music. The only element I think is missing is the Celtic we heard on Shade, but there is slight compensation in Treading when the mournful sound of a violin appears.
Obsidian is definitely a step forward compared to For Ruins previous work, and shows a settled style. Since this demo came out the band have released a live DVD, signed a record deal, and - if eveyrthing goes as planned - we will soon have their first full length album in our hands. Cannot wait!
Official For Ruin website
