Finitude

From the UK we get Unfathomable Ruination.
I first discovered the band in 2011, randomly stumbling upon their first demo on Youtube. The first song “Echoes of Universal Futility” had an outro with melodic tapping that instantly stole my attention, in a time where I was still discovering Brutal Death Metal and craving more and more.

Fast forward to 2016. Finitude is the second full-lenght album from Unfathomable Ruination, following the crazy debut album “Misshapen Congegenital Entropy” and the top-notch EP “Idiosyncratic Chaos” which blew my mind upon release. I thought they had outdone themselves, so my expectations for this album were high.

Finitude is a really intense record, even for Brutal Death Metal. Lots of groovy drum patterns, slams, tempo changes, dynamic arrangements across the string-instruments and transitions with odd time-signatures. The song writing is playful and dynamic, but it does not get out of hand or turn into a “wankfest”, but stays stylistically within the genre of filthy, brutal death.

The drums deserve a special mention, as Doug Anderson (also formerly of Bloodshot Dawn) is like an octupus here. His speed, and his work with the arms makes me think of a modern Gene Hoglan (with gravity blasts and 240+bpm 16th note double bass while adding tasty fills and cymbal grooves). Also noteworthy are the vocals. Contrasting the general intensity and fast tempos of the music, the vocals are growled at a slow pace, which really adds to the chaos and makes them stand out. Now for the songs themselves...

Most of the album is high octane brutal death metal, as if Reign in Blood were rewritten for the modern death metal scene. It is heavy, and most riffing happens on the low strings. My favourite tracks, however, are the most melodic and dynamic songs. ”Pestilential Affinity” has a couple of chaotic solos, which resolves into a melodic tremolo picked riff after the first minute, and it is glorious! ”Neutralizer” has the most melodic intro of them all, almost Death-esque, and the intro also wraps up the song after the solos and a bass interlude. Finally, the outro on ”Forge of Finitude” is pure nostalgia for fans who listened to their first demo. A haunting melody played with fast tapping, to add chaos on top of the melancholy of the root melody.

I would love to hear more of these melodic moments. They fit the bands sound well, and really compliments the heavy riffs which can be found all over the album. The riffs can get a little monotone at times, but they only last till the next tempo change. Add those melodies and solos on top, and you have one of the best death metal albums of 2016!

Highlights: Pestilential Affinity, Neutralizer, Nihilistic Theorem, Forge of Finitude