In a world where so many new death metal bands are busy trying to sound like *insert classic band here*, it’s refreshing to see the genre’s veterans reminding us who’s the boss. I’m not talking about a goofy 80s sitcom. I’m talking about the devastating display of death that is the latest split from Ruin and Absconder. Two of the most respected acts in the underbelly of the underground, I’m surprised this twin effort of terror hadn’t happened before. But better late than never!
Ruin formed in 1990, released a demo entitled Sickening Ruin, and broke up a year later. It’d be almost 25 years before they returned, but they’ve been making up for lost time. Since 2015, they’ve unleashed a barrage of EPs and splits. This is their second release of 2020 and it’s only March! Ruin contributes four songs for our listening pleasure: “The Sadist”, “Deathless Piles of Rot”, “Hideous End”, and “No One Can Hear the Screams”. All of these are super heavy, miserable, doom-ridden death metal. My favorite track is “Deathless Piles of Rot”. It features a riff that can only be described as knuckle-dragging. It doesn’t get more ignorant than this folks. Like every Ruin release before it, these songs will have cavemen the world over happily grunting “OUGH”.
In the event your head hasn’t been completely bludgeoned by now, there’s another four songs from central Illinois’s Absconder. Fronted by legendary Morgue mastermind Brad Buldak, he and his crew of cretins unleash pure audio hell with “Gangrenous Extremities”, “Ear/Ons”, “My Rotting Head”, and “From Parts Unknown”. The first two songs are fast and filthy. The guitars sound like they have maggots crawling over them. And good luck getting the riff to “Ear/Ons” out of your head. However, it’s on “My Rotting Head” and “From Parts Unknown” that Absconder really shines. These are very well written old school tracks that sound similar to Autopsy, complete with doomy riffs set to a punky beat. Absconder has me as hooked as the unfortunate victim on the cover of Severed Survival (1989).
This is being boasted as “the heaviest split of 2020”. I don’t doubt it. It’s meat and potatoes death metal with an extra helping of meat. This is a mandatory listen for any self respecting death metal maniac. Get on it now or forever be lame!
7 out of 10
Label: Goat Throne Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Morgue, Autopsy, Cianide