It as Melodic Death Metal that opened the floodgates of Extreme Metal to me. I was astonished by the mix of melody and aggression the bands delivered. Ironically, Amon Amarth nor Archenemy, the masters of Melodic Death Metal, were the bands that I first noticed. It was October Tide the band responsible for making it such a strong like. Mostly, the contrast between the melodic guitars and the harsh vocals were the things that attracted me the first. Then, with time a lot of listening, I noticed a very huge similarity with the twin guitars of NWOBHM. I mean, the licks and phrases are made with the same search for melody give the songs the special taste to make them bright and be attractive to a myriad of metallers. Maybe, just maybe Melodic Death Metal is the Metal genre that attracts the most fans from them all.
Here we’ve got AmongRuins, a band that starts out great out of for their name which fits perfectly with the band’s music. The band was born in 2011 as an idea for a small side-project in Sverd’s (Vocals, Bass) mind. At the time, he was playing along with George (Drums) and Thanos (Guitars) in a symphonic metal band (Bare Infinity), with which they had 2 discographic releases and accumulated numerous gigs in Europe. Sverd started writing music along with George, and soon the band’s debut was composed. AmongRuins were a way for them to express themselves differently, more aggressively, in both a musical and lyrical sense than they did in their other band.
AmongRuins’s guitar approach to NWOBHM is bigger than average what makes them more palatable to Old School metallers. My guess is that tittle track “Land of the Black Sun” tells much more about the band’s musicallity as it mixes other Metal music features in a very attractive blend. A special attention to the bass lines which drags the fan heart as they rule the song leaving the guitar fly away with bright melodies and stunning solos.
“Land of the Black Sun” as an album works perfectly in a kind of way that album welcomer “Tear Me Apart” showcases by its change of heart with an instrumental intro that soon changes into a blast. The track is a perfect view of what Melodic Death Metal delivers to the fan with its heavy pounding intertwined with solid melodies. I particularly love the contrast the voice brings when compared to the guitars.
In a nutshell, this is the kind of album that my dear child of the night can listen with no surprises. It’s not the album that will disappoint in any way. It’s solid and reliable as a band with such a long career can be.
AmongRuins “Land of the Black Sun” was released on July 14th via Theogonia Records.
Track Listing:
- Tear Me Apart
- End of My Fall
- Shattered Times
- Our Destructive Tide
- Wells of War
- Suffer for Credence
- Forever the Signs
- Land of the Black Sun
Watch “Wells of War” official music video here:
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I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!