Ruins of Humans

2013 has been a great year for death metal fans. First Finnish death overlords Convulse come out with an ep after 19 years and now legendary Floridian death metallers Brutality come out of the dark after 17 long years with an ep entitled ‘Ruins of Humans’. Even though the band has been active since mid-2012, not much was known about the activity of the band, possibly because the band had already reformed twice, once in 2005 and the second time in 2008, but never recorded any new stuff or played new shows, so when I saw this release last night on Rateyourmusic I was taken aback. Not much info was available about this except the fact that it could be purchased digitally on cdbaby.com.

Even though Brutality has a distinct sound, they can call their own none of the 3 albums that they have put out sound same. While their magnum opus, ‘Screams of Anguish’, which makes my list of top 5 death metal albums any day, was a technical slab of death metal suffering perfected the Floridian death metal sound and delved deeper into the twin guitar sound and had a sense of urgency throughout with its complex song structures, overlapping riffs, and peregrination into doom metal territory, the band's second album, ‘When The Sky Turns Black’, sported a heavier sound, flirted a bit more with the doom metal territory as well as the melodic leads, and though complex at times, wasn’t as technical as the former album. The band’s last album, ‘In Mourning’, had a meandering muddy tone and most attention to detail was given to the flowing melodic solos. Needless to say, ‘Ruins of Humans’ was a release where you would not know what to expect.

So, what is Ruins of Humans? 2 songs, 14 minutes, 8 solos, and around a dozen riffs is what it is. First things first, the band logo as on ‘In Mourning’, which the band possibly adopted because of the onset of mid-'90s hardcore, has been trashed for the old iconic logo with the dragon on its back. Secondly and more importantly this EP has the same legendary line up as on the debut with Scott Reigel handling the vocalist duties, Don Gates and Jay Fernandez heading the twin guitar assault, Jeff Acres taking care of backing vocals and playing the bass and Jim Coker bashing behind the kit. It is amazing that how even after a hiatus of almost 2 decades the band still has the signature Brutality sound. While Mr.Reigel still has that powerful voice which can alternate between guttural growls and deep screams it is Jim Coker’s ability to move dexterously from a blast beat to a powerful drum fill to simply going in the background and supporting the band when one of the many soaring guitar solos that hit your ears that really captured my attention. With the 2 tracks lasting 8 minutes and 6 minutes in length the band is no stranger to long tracks with the band continually churning out songs in excess of 6 minutes throughout their career. On their last album the band did breach their 8 minute mark but the tracked seemed dragged out.

As the self titled tracks starts out with whispered vocals and a soft guitar solo in the background which extends more than a minute take a deep breath, it is the only time the band will give you the opportunity to do so throughout this EP. This music as expected does not sound very similar to anything the band has done in the past though it borrows elements from all their 3 releases specifically the first and last album. While not as potent as their previous albums it surely is an intensive one. As the band thrusts forward with fast paced riffs bolstered by the powerful drum fills which scream of the legendary Brutality sound you never know what to expect from the complex minds that are collectively known as Brutality. Blast beats often act as a precursor to a change in either tempo or riff or a solo be it miniature or lengthy. The complex song writing only fuelled by the many riffs which are at times subtle and yet complement each other and at many times distinct is what meshes the band together to create an 8 minute monster of a track. While mostly sporting the old school sound that is atypical of death metal the majority of the solos are very melodic. By melodic I don’t mean the keyboard wankery and symphonic drivel that most modern melodic death metal band use, but melodic as in the melodic solos present on previous Brutality albums albeit a bit more melodic. Think of the guitarwork on Quo Vadis’ ‘Defiant Imagination’ mixed with the soaring, towering and lengthy solos of Forsaken’s ‘After the Fall’. Look out for the moment @ around 4:30 on the first song where the music breaks away into the thudding of the bass drum followed by the galloping riffs. A growl and riff change later the band jumps into a guitar solo and descends once again into the pit of aggressive ruthlessness. As lengthy melodic leads and soaring solos end the first track the second track entitled ‘Irreversibly Broken’ begins where the band left off. Clocking in at less than 6 minutes has as many solos as the first song but this is a less complex track with lesser tempo changes and lesser riffs but never relinquishing from its pivotal desire which is a create a bit of an epic atmosphere with its melodic leads and the towering guitar solos.

All in all, by going the Suffocation and Convulse way by incorporating a real essence of melody in this release and not creating compositions as technical as before, Brutality has with ‘Ruins of Humans’ expelled forth their most accessible release. Having awoken from their slumber after almost 2 decades the newer bands should take a much needed lesson by these masterly death metal scholars. Back in the day the band never garnered as much attention as they deserved, but with this wrecking ball of a release and the modern age where a guy like me sitting behind his computer in India is reviewing this EP a mere day after the release, Brutality may hopefully get the recognition and exposure they so thoroughly deserve.

[Originally posted on http://toolatetopray.blogspot.in/]

I know it's reunion season, and a great deal of "old school" bands seem to be returning from the shadows to release new material, but this one is special, to me. For one, this is a band that I discovered (more or less) by accident, when I found a copy of "When the Sky Turns Black" in the local record store. After observing the (awesome) album cover, the Black Sabbath cover, the acoustic interludes, and the fact that Brian Hipp was wearing the same Bathory hoodie that I have, I decided to buy the album despite not being familiar with the band at the time. Since, they have become one of my favorite bands, not only because their "Screams of Anguish" album is among the greatest death metal records ever recorded, but also because they are still rather underground, never managing to reach the same fame and recognition as their peers in bands like Deicide or Morbid Angel, despite being just as good and (in some cases) better. So, when I found out that the band was reforming for a third time (after two previous reformations failed to amount to anything), this time with the entire lineup from the classic "Screams..." album in tow, I was ecstatic. I didn't really have any expectations for the music, after Morbid Angel taught us in 2011 that high expectations can often lead to high disappointments, but was instead simply happy to see the band back at it, with a great deal of interest to see what the band would do.

Well, enough about me! Here it finally is...the first official Brutality release since 1996, and the first release with this lineup since 1993. While it may not look like much, with a rather bland cover art, this release is above and beyond any expectations I could have formed about what it would sound like. This is, simply put, some of the best death metal I have heard in a very, very long time.

All the trademarks of Brutality's sound remain. The band's trademark "technical-yet-no-less-catchy" riffing style remains in full force (if anything, the riffs are catchier and more memorable than ever!), with drummer Jim Coker's ability to seamlessly jump between a killer groove and a blast beat having not waned in the slightest. Vocalist Scott Reigel is truly at the top of his game here, delivering some extremely powerful vocals which rival his performance on the original albums. Bassist (and backing vocalist) Jeff Acres still holds the candle as one of the coolest bassists in the genre (as 4:43 in "Ruins of Humans" showcases), with his ability to jump to the forefront of the music whenever he wishes with his incredibly badass bass tone. The most notable thing to be heard with this release, however, are the solos. If there was anything I was worried about with this recording, it was that the solos would not be as interesting as they once were. The solos on display here go over and beyond all expectations (to repeat myself from earlier in the review), however. Both guitarists Jay Fernandez and Don Gates do an absolutely fucking stellar job here, with solos that completely crush everything around them. The solos are absolutely perfect everywhere they are displayed, but single most impressive moment on display here, is the last third (or so) of "Irreversibly Broken", which is taken over by a dual solo shared between the two guitarists, which is easily one of the coolest moments on the entire EP.

There are only two songs on here, the first being the 8-minute title track, "Ruins of Humans", and the second being the 6-minute "Irreversibly Broken". "Ruins of Humans" takes off from where "Screams of Anguish" left off, and is filled to the brim with extremely intricate and brutal riffing, and some very off-the-wall ideas which remind the listener of Brutality's classic material, without sounding like a copycat, or like the band is trying to re-live the past. The song is over 8-minutes long, but it never feels overlong or like too many ideas have been thrown into the mix. The second track, "Irreversibly Broken", is much simpler and does not contain as many tempo changes, sticking to a mid-tempo for most of it's length. It is this song where, as previously mentioned, the lead guitar truly shines, with some extremely interesting ideas coming through in the music. For instance, the intro features a mid-paced riff flowing beneath an almost Maiden-esque lead, which is followed by one of the catchiest riffs I have heard in a long time, and a brief (but awesome) guitar squeal/fill (at 0:44). The song still contains the classic Brutality flair, but with a new twist, which makes me all the more excited to hear what the band will do with the up-coming full length.

All-in-all, this was an extremely impressive release. To all Brutality fans out there, check this out. You will not regret it, this is obviously a reformation that needed to happen! Unfortunately, as of the writing of this review, it has only been made available through digital downloading, but as someone who despises digital stuff of all kinds, I can say with earnest that this was worth it! All hail Brutality!!