Burial Hordes – Ruins
Release Date: 9th June 2023
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
FFO: Decipher, Incantation, Grave Miasma, Deathspell Omega.
Review By: Paul Cairney
Greece has always been at the centre of the Black Metal scene in Southern Europe. Almost 20 years after their debut album, and 5 after their last release, Greek veterans Burial Hordes have returned with album number 5, Ruins.
Although not a Black Metal album, Ruins features enough of the traits within its 9 track, 41 minute run-time for it to be called Blackened Death, a genre the band have managed to make their home.
Opening with a crunching Death Metal riff, the magnificently titled, ‘In the Midst of a Vast Solitude’ sets out the albums stall. It is going to be heavy, it is going to drip with tinges of black metal, and it is going to be immensely enjoyable.
As the album progresses, there are tracks that delve into the melancholy, allowing the listener to recover from the hammer-like riffs and the gruff, growled vocals from D.T. These moments should be treasured, as they provide the tracks with a sense of freedom, the music reaches out within you, seeking your pleasure points before pummelling them with unfettered aggression. Album closer, ‘…To the Threshold of Silence’ is an excellent example of this.
A mention must go to the excellent drums on Ruins. The boys in Burial Hordes managed to pull a masterstroke and grab the current Fleshgod Apocalypse drummer, Eugene Ryabchenko as the session drummer and he more than delivers on Ruins, holding each track together like a master puppeteer.
In the 5 years since The Termination Thesis was released, the world has gone through a lot of changes. Burial Hordes have trampled these changes to the blackened earth and released an album full of atmospheric aggression that is ultimately an aural pleasure. The confidence displayed in the song-writing and its delivery makes this album one for you to seek out.
(4.5 / 5)
