Review by Adam M on April 8, 2014.

The Ruins Of Beverast perform in a manner that is similar to My Dying Bride. There is a doom element to the band, but it also has slower aspects that might be taken from funeral doom. The songs slow down, but never to a trodden pace. The doom of this album overshadows any other genres that may be intermingled into the mix.

The band has a lower register vocalist that matches the music quite well, but takes some getting used to. The songs have a manner of enchanting you with repeated listens in quite a wonderful manner. The riffs are the best part of the disc and in certain songs they take a long time to develop and draw out. The very deep tone of the music is also at the forefront and makes for an exciting listen overall. The songs are generally of a very long time frame, but the nuances grow on the listener with repeated listens. The songs have melody as does My Dying Bride, but there is an undeniably primitive aspect on offer here. The amount of melodic material is mixed with droning more slow doom to craft a web of addictiveness on the listener. The highlight song on the album is “Monument” with its generous build-up of sound. There are many songs that are of very good caliber throughout, however.

One last thing to note with the album is there is an almost choir aspect to it. This gives it religious themes and a more poignant viewpoint. Blood Vaults could be easily improved with more thought in the interludes and down portions. Aside from this gripe, there is an album full of great doom on offer for anyone to take notice about. Doom fans will find plenty to like here.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by JD on July 24, 2010.

Split CD’s are sometimes the best sway to be showcasing two great bands. Or it can show a band that is not quite ready for having a proper full album. Either way, it is interesting to see what ever the packaging could bring to the table.

UK’s Old Corpse Road is one of the bands I really do appreciate. They play the style of brutally heavy Pagan Metal just the way I like it to be done. This is just the next step in their journey, a journey that I am glad to be on with them. They have equal amounts of being massively heavy yet have a amazing amount of talent that just accents their sheer force... not too many other bands can combine the two. The only drawback is that I want a full album, but I gotta be patient I guess.

The Meads Of Asphodel hails also from Britain as well, playing true Black Metal with the added punch of Death Metal. Powerful as they are unrepentant of their dark leanings, they match up well with OCR and makes this split CD totally enjoyable. With heaviness matching up with power, this band should be acclaimed for not only musically being punishing, but with the ability to write engrossing and smart lyrics that match up so well with the music.

This split CD is one of the best I have heard displaying to deserving bands. It is worth your while to get it, especially if these are bands you don’t know yet. Both deserve and need to be listened to, to be appreciated and just to be.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:9
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 9
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.7 out of 10