Review by Adam M on April 27, 2011.

An invigorating Classic Metal style is performed by Twisted Tower Dire. They recall the likes of early Crimson Glory with their Melodic Heavy Metal delivery. The songs here are catchy, yet meaty and sound like anthems to the glory of metal. The tracks are also bolstered by crisp rhythm guitar work and memorable leads.

This is energetic and passionate music that doesn’t fall into the trap of being generic and uninteresting as many bands that try to perform the very eighties sounding kind of metal have a tendency to do. Still, though the songs are memorable, they aren’t quite completely thrilling all the way through. There are certainly moments that are particularly appealing, however. When a hook is found, it is driven into your sub-conscious. See the track 'White Shadow' for a song that is able to become ingratiated in your head. Perhaps the absolute best aspect of this disc is in its ability to make the listener feel upbeat and empowered. The music has a positive mood that suits the classic vibe it emits. The music isn’t all straightforward as well. See the final track 'Beyond The Gate', which recalls the likes of Slough Feg. It’s an epic way to close everything off.

The band could do a bit more with the songs and push them into even more interesting and compelling places. This is something to expect in the future, perhaps. What we’re left with here is a splendid release that has some excellent guitar work and melodies. The band creates a style of their own despite having a resemblance to other acts."Make It Dark" comes recommended.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 8

Rating:8 out of 10

Review by Carl on January 25, 2021.

These last few years there have been a fair few death metal bands that manage to inject a genuine feel of unease into their art. I'm thinking of bands like Fluids, Caustic Wound or Visceral Mass, acts that manage to conjure up a threatening, truly unsettling atmosphere with their music. When listening to these bands, you just can't help looking over your shoulder now and then. It's a feeling that not a lot of acts know how to capture, but those mentioned sure can, and among those bands we also find Ruin.

This is a collection of older stuff the band released on vinyl and tape; perfect for someone like me who has a mortgage and bills to pay and can't afford to purchase every release a band shits out. However, the thing is this: it may be a compilation, but it sure has all the cohesiveness of a full length studio album. Which is nice.

The music featured here is shit-heavy, imagine a band like Incantation or Blaspherian playing Autopsy-like old school death metal with touches of crust punk, but a lot filthier. A good share of today's death metal bands have a tendency to go for a cleaner sound and/or put more emphasis on technical proficiency, but Ruin go for the neanderthal approach, assaulting the listener with pounding, bass-heavy death metal. This sounds so filthy, you'll need a napkin to wipe away the stains after listening. The music is pretty varied, with primitive thrash tempos alternating with grindcore infused savagery, with the band slowing down to a crawl at times, like in 'And Soon the Darkness' and 'The Bends'. These doomed-out dirges benefit enormously from the grimy down-tuned guitars, making them sound utterly crushing. On top of this come the gargling vocals of Mihell J. Slaughter, with a ghastly delivery reminding me of Necrophagia's Killjoy (R.I.P.) more than once, rounding it all up in a nice festering package of filth-laden death metal heaviness. If there ever was a band that sounded like they would like to rip off your head and then proceed to piss into the hole in your neck, it is without a doubt Ruin.

I also would like to mention that this album contains one of the very rare occurrences of a successful Discharge cover. You would think that covering an act like that would be easy, but it is only very seldom that a metal band succeeds in establishing that uncomfortable atmosphere early Discharge exuded, but Ruin utterly nails it, in their very own way. There's also a cover of NME, a band that never really got the recognition they deserved, and I have to say that this track blends in effortlessly with the rest of the material. Not really a surprise, because Ruin's demented approach to death metal is actually very similar to what NME did with their music. Simply awesome!

The menacing atmosphere comes not only through the music, but the samples throughout contribute to this unsettling feeling in great part. In general I'm not that hot about spoken samples in death metal, but here they accompany the music flawlessly. The atmosphere created by this combination really gives the listener the feeling like something really unpleasant is about to go down. The first time I heard the intro to 'A Foul Stench of Human Beings', the only thing I could say was "Damn ... that's intense ...".

This is a band that embodies the spirit of underground death metal from back in the day: heavy, aggressive and at times very disturbing, establishing a violent atmosphere of utter discomfort. If you like your death metal sick, raw and dirty, I'd say: grab your shotgun and razor blades and immerse yourself in the vortex of menace that is Ruin.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10