New York’s RUIN LUST may not be the most prolific band within US extreme metal, but they are certainly one of its most frenzied and unflinchingly intense acts, with only a handful of bands matching this trio’s muscular and imposing sound. Where the vast majority of bands tend to start out quite ferocious and gradually get more accessible as they progress from record to record, RUIN LUST seem to have gotten far more grating and dissonant with each release, with their third album, 2020’s Choir Of Babel, standing as perhaps their most intense and cohesive work to date. Their latest, fourth album, Dissimulant, manages to top even the more discordant and punishing moments of its predecessor, making it by far the band’s most searing and sharp work, if not exactly their musical best.
Eden starts things off with a wave of noise which quickly gives way to a tight and ferocious slab of death metal with muscular guitars, throaty, booming vocals and frenetic drumming, all of which contribute to an aggressive and unhinged sound that kicks things off with a burst of brutality that immediately grabs the listener’s attention. Imperium takes a similarly dense and impenetrable approach, albeit with a stronger focus on meaty rhythms and jarring leads that carve through the mix and add a stringent edge to what is an exceptionally fierce offering, with excellent vocals and authoritative drums lending a focused sound to proceedings whilst not sacrificing too much of the intensity.
Clinamen leans prominently into the angular leads of the previous song, injecting some caustic flourishes that make this already speed-driven and punishing sound even harsher, whilst peppering in eerie melodicism that makes this feel far darker. Thall takes the ponderous, atmospheric touches of the last song and applies a chunkier guitar sound, sludgy basslines and thunderous drums to them, creating a huge, imposing sound that acts as a great backdrop for monstrous gutturals and acerbic hooks which embrace the rabid element at this album’s heart while at the same time showcasing an ethereal side of the band that makes this incredibly immersive.
Dissimulant, with its raw production, pummelling pace and primitive musicianship, is a harder, more streamlined affair with a primal ferocity and bellicose vocals which reverts to the borderline grindcore aggression, serving as one of the album’s most visceral and claustrophobic songs. Purge lurches abruptly back into the sort of domineering blackened death metal that made the likes of Imperium such an impactful track, with intricate drums and biting riffs crafting a sinister and vicious feel that is far closer to classic war metal than anything that has featured on this record so far. The thick, minimalistic bass interlude that breaks up this song’s two halves pushes the music into a funereal crawl that is closer to death-doom, but still firmly anchored within blackened death, making for a dramatic and powerful change of pace that turns this into one of the record’s most engrossing and wide-ranging efforts.
In stark contrast to this juggernaut, Infinite Regress is a short, sharp shock of noxious, crushing extremity that goes straight for the jugular, ebbing and flowing between energised and frenzied passages and tighter rhythmic ones, with the acidic snarl of the vocals feeling decidedly more intense to ensure this brief but brilliant song leaves its mark. The cavernous Chemical Wind brings this album to a close with a huge behemoth of a track that utilises droning guitars and a steady beat to build tension before unleashing an utterly belligerent and caustic aural assault on the listener, with grating guitar work, machine gun precise drums and barked vocals all combining to craft a venom-soaked and discordant slab of blackened death metal that uses its measured pace and expansive sound to bring this album to its conclusion in a bombastic and domineering manner.
Where Choir Of Babel was perhaps the band’s strongest effort from a songwriting front, this is arguably their most acerbic and visceral offering to date. Much like the album that came before it, it’s got some great musicianship and some surprisingly catchy and impactful moments, but Dissimulant‘s strength lies in its over-arching aggression and intensity; with the unremitting grindcore flourishes and chunky, domineering approach from the guitars and vocals especially, there’s very little in the way of reprieve from this album’s more cacophonous elements, and even then it’s merely down to a reduced pace rather than a massive stylistic shift. Dissimulant is another impressive addition to the band’s repertoire that shows just how bestial they can be, further cementing RUIN LUST as a force to be reckoned with within the more dissonant corners of the US’ extreme metal underground.
Rating: 8/10
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