Artist: Ground Of Ruin
Title: Cloaked In Doctrine
Type: E.P.
Label: None
Before the epoch of “try before you buy” MySpace convenience, I could quite often be found rummaging through the racks of Hellraiser et al trying to sniff out any bargain CD’s that looked suitably Satanic. There is a particular type of cover I remember picking up off the shelf more often than most; the simplistic two tone black background with white logo and sketch depicting skeletons or Satanic sacrifices or something equally repugnant. Usually these were the ones that had a price tag of £4 and I would take it over to the counter thinking well if it’s no good at least I haven’t lost much. The real question that would then plague me on my journey home would naturally be whether this would end up being exchanged for something else next week, or will it be the best £4 I ever spent? Whenever the latter occurred, there was a smug sense of satisfaction, having discovered a new band without the help of any pesky press folk (hey, wait a minute…) telling me how amazing the band is, while others flock like sheep to pick up the latest nu-metal bollocks at hiked up prices on recommendation from Kerrang.
So does this one cut the mustard? Well the dark, moody intro track ‘Upon The 13th Hour’ has the kind of ambience that feels kind of like a bad storm is brewing up in the blackened night sky. Somehow this sounds reminiscent of a Cradle Of Filth interlude and leads me to expect a full on blackened assault to come crashing out of the other end, although it’s a far more rounded affair that is harder to pigeonhole. ‘Cloaked In Doctrine’ charges in at a breakneck speed unleashing a savage thrash attack albeit with a deathly slant to the guitars. There are certainly blackened elements to their sound, such as in the icy, furious down-picked guitars on ‘Burning The Olive Branch’, which are placed beneath a juxtaposition of deathly growls and callous rasps that lend a certain level of diversity to the vocal output.
‘Beneath Contempt’ rounds the E.P. off nicely with its somewhat mystical melody fattened out with heavy distortion and some intricate guitar work. Overall this is a well-structured, tight and solid effort from a young outfit that really deserve to be signed. Going back to my initial point, the good news is that this definitely lives up to my expectations. The bad news, for you, is that you won’t find my slightly used copy down my local record exchange for £2. You’ll just have to make do with ordering from their MySpace. Which I urge you to do.
http://www.myspace.com/groundofruin
http://www.luggamusic.com
Luci Herbert
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