‘Casting Ruin’ is the fourth album from these purveyors of black/death/tech extremity (or “Epic Fucking Brutality”, as they so eloquently put it themselves), and my first introduction to their sound. Originally starting out as one of the many bands to use the Sarcophagus name, they split in 1994, only to reform years later (2001 to be precise) as Solace of Requiem.
Ignoring a small industrial sounding introduction, there are no false dawns upon pressing play – these guys let you know what they’re all about from the very off. A skree of hyper-blasting trigger drumming flies out of the traps, with guitars swarming like blasts of broken glass, clinging onto the blasting drums by the skin of their teeth. Melodic runs, powerful dual harmony solos and pick squeals all fight for the forefront in terms of riffage, coming off an undeniably impressive technically, whilst retaining actual song-writing skills rather than appearing to be a flurry of show-off, guitar clinic madness. The title track of the album is utterly manic, flowing with all the subtlety of a volcanic eruption and about as much of its destructive force too. They use backing synth well to build a threatening aura around some of the riffage, giving an extra thickness to their sound and power to their song structuring. There is an undeniable coldness about this album, not only in the clinic ability it exudes (which is pretty crazy at times – noise gates are always set to kill), but also the regular interludes of eerie industrial-like soundscapes which are interspersed within the songs. ‘Song of Shards’ introduces more brutal elements to the face removing intensity, and ‘Wading into Mire’ does exactly what it says on the tin for it’s intro, slowing to a crawl, before the speed is once again introduced amongst possessed vocals, echoing guitar gleams and the ever constant mechanical precision.
This level of extreme technicality can be off-putting for many, with the super pristine production and clinical accuracy of every note and beat fine tuned to clockwork perfection. However, there is certainly enough brutality, actual ‘riffs’ and song-writing to carry them through in comparison to many of their contemporaries. Well worth a look if you’re into the style.
(7/10 Lars Christiansen)
Leave a Reply