Some bands are meant to be great just by the calibre of their members. RUINOUS couldn’t be an exception to the rule by incorporating former (or current) members of well-established bands like GOREAPHOBIA, INCANTATION, FUNEBRARUM or DISMA, but it also brings a lot of responsibility and maybe some pressure on the musicians. Formed when Alex Bouks (guitar), Matt Medeiros (guitar & vocals) and Shawn Eldridge (drums) were unhappy with the situation in FUNEBRARUM and got out to create their own project, RUINOUS managed to stay on top of any pressure and created a crushing Death Metal album where you can find several influences from the extreme Metal spectrum, including some Grindcore and Doom elements (the tracks ‘Procession Of Ceaseless Sorrows’ and ‘Ravenous Eternal’ are an excellent example of that). Musically, the album is immense and very well executed, as expected from such extreme Metal veterans. The vocals clearly demonstrate the musical variety this record offers to the listener, going from deep growls to Grind screams in a split second with the guitars and drums perfectly adjusted, creating an overall horror atmosphere complemented with the Lovecraft, Poe and Clive Barker inspired lyrics. The album has a total of 9 tracks extended across 47 minutes. A highlight is the longest track (‘Through Stygian Catacombs’) with more than 11 minutes, but with not a single point of boredom along the way. It is a perfect balance between faster / slower and melodic / brutal Death Metal. Expect a great and definitely non-disappointing Death Metal record. More information at www.facebook.com/weareruinous, www.darkdescentrecords.com