A new album by Alexander von Meilenwald’s highly revered Ruins Of Beverast is a pretty major event in the extreme music world and the follow up to the sublime ‘Exuvia’ of 2017 is an album that needs time and a huge degree of focus on to get beneath the surface of. Unsurprisingly this is an epic listen with 7 massive tracks and just shy of 70-minutes worth of music. Exuvia was mine and no doubt many others album of the year in 2017, this was solidified by finally seeing the band live as well that year and witnessing the power of the songs up close and personal, an absolutely spellbinding affair. It was never going to be easy topping an album that hit with such a profound effect and one that could well be considered their magnum-opus. However, after a couple of splits and singles here we are with ‘The Thule Grimoires’ an album which we are told “evolves around discarnate, spiritful protagonists that join the brave and inexorable powers of nature against their foe.” Its heady stuff but we would expect nothing less.

How do you even describe such a unique entity, well blackened, psychedelic, shamanic doom is about the best stab I can have at things and there is plenty of that to be found here along with many a nod to the past, although this could all be in my head. It all starts with a massive shivering rhythm that may have you thinking ‘How Soon Is Now’ as the ‘Ropes Into Eden’ uncoil and the drums finally drop in with power and bombast. We are off, vocals growl and rasp, it’s a thunderous opening before settling into a passage of gentle yet ominous ambience. There are plenty of strange sounds, almost prehistoric in nature to fill the gaps and the alchemy of it all is absolutely captivating. You have to be careful with this album, it can draw you into a trance and totally hypnotise you. I have lost large chunks of time playing it and it is a hugely immersive experience. Turn on, tune in, drop out! There is no denying the psychedelic hit of this particular trip. Clean vocals suddenly caress, the blackened elements are within the mainframe but are few and far between, you have to be patient and wait long periods of time for them but they are there to rouse during the course of the journey. At the end of this first mammoth track, we have just that the sound of just that, a woolly prehistoric creature groaning which causes a massive brain fart and drops me into the past and the first amazing Visage album, it’s not the last time this will happen either and the past may surface again for the elder listener.

Next ‘The Tundra Shines’ and babbling backing vocals take that aforementioned shamanistic approach, clean parts relate a mythic world and the music calmly sways and trembles drawing you in to its tale. I guess if the lyrics are published in the CD booklet, further enlightenment may be found along with credits on who else is involved here; I am suspecting T from Dolch may well be providing the feminine side of the vocal parts in the background here again but we are as yet not privy to that information and left immersed in craggy growls and booming percussive rolls. Back to the past courtesy of the dark synth lines of ‘Kromlec’h Knell’ which would fit in perfectly on a Gary Numan song. This is a dangerous number and the one that has come back to haunt in the early hours of the morning. Once heard a few times the central melody is lodged and will infect your dreams and come back and haunt. There is a very ritualistic feel to things here not least from the strange vocal parts and that absolutely beguiling central musical (synthpop) refrain.

The vibe of indigenous people and ancient civilisations echoes through things, the rape of the land and tribes by conquest are the images a number like ‘Mammothpolis’ have flowing through the mind as this unlocks imagination in a similar way to partaking in a peyote ritual. The enchantress is back on ‘Anchoress In Furs’ as are the clean vocals creating breadth and space with another massively hypnotic flow, it’s a bit of an earthbound, space-rock opera going on here if that makes any sort of sense. An injection of speed and chugging bass summons ‘Polar Hiss Hysteria’ the blackness is now back injected into things with Kraut Rock rhythmic thrusts and a surprisingly upbeat melody amidst the growls and rawer rage as the track rocks out! Everything leads to the huge 14-minute finale ‘Deserts to Bind and Defeat.’ It’s a rousing and vitriolic surge to the end after a calm build up which utilises the pitch black facets of this ever intriguing outfit into a tempestuous closing statement which will reverberate with the listener long after it has finished.

After many a listen it is obvious that this will be a stand out album that will impact anyone who encounters it and stay with them for a long time. Is it better than Exuvia? Well despite growing in stature with every play perhaps not but time will tell. It’s certainly a fantastic and powerful piece of work though.

(9/10 Pete Woods)

https://www.facebook.com/The-Ruins-Of-Beverast-116265971848680

https://theruinsofbeverast.bandcamp.com/album/the-thule-grimoires