With the sky void of judicium divinum on its horizon, neither cryptic revelations unveiled nor bolts cast downward of late, the devout focus their attention upon the rust of their environs in a gleefully pre-cataclysmic state wherein every small collapse gathers the extinction of skittering mankind into thrilling perspective. The twilight awareness of impending doom only causes their death cult to clasp their hands tighter together in wringing revelry of their prophesies manifested. Musing upon the decimation of a post-apocalyptic scene prone to aftershocks of the great collapse Athens, Greece-based blackened death metal quartet Burial Hordes return with album number five, their deepest trenches dug and most crippling brutality explored to date within the unique atmosphere they’ve been fostering and mutilating for over two decades now. ‘Ruins‘ is driven yet eccentric in its choices as it depicts fatal downturn, a thrilling coast-and-crashing down sensation which provides cumulative realization between classic muse and abstract modernity that speaks to the haze of death worship as much as it thrives within the caustic atmosphere of its own frequent eruption events. At the very least it’ll be a notable event for those invested in the limitless potential of black and death metal’s most complimentary traits of expression.

The assumption is that Burial Hordes was the brainchild of guitarist/bassist Necro aka D.D. who was best known for Enshadowed before forming this band with a different set of associations and intended focus. Their initial style was very different on a preliminary demo CD-r (‘Entering the Untrodden Forest‘, 2001) which wouldn’t prove the right direction for the band with its somewhat typical yet appreciably surreal atmospheric approach. For their next stab at a demo (‘Mors Luminis‘, 2003) the same lineup expanded to a quartet with the vital inclusion of Psychaos aka K.T. (Dead Congregation) on bass and this is where we begin to hear the ‘old school’ black metal focus of the band create something truly mean, aggressive and focused per the collaboration between D.D. and K.T. which would ultimately serve as primer for a war metallic focus on their debut LP (‘War, Revenge and Total Annihilation‘, 2005), a true underground slab of blasphemic noise which had a hint of that orthodox black metal era twinge in its hand which I suppose went in one ear and out the other on my part at the time. They’d vitally added vocalist Chthonos (ex-Ravencult) and from that point the main part of the pact was generally sealed, though the drummer’s seat would revolve over time, typically making for a different approach or presence within each release.

The early reputation of the band was basically a bestial, grittiest sort of violence with a strong mix of classic and modern input which suggested they had a strong adventurous side, less rules holding things back. The ‘old school’ black metal feeling of ‘Devotion to Unholy Creed‘ (2008) was more-or-less my proper introduction to Burial Hordes probably because of the Hellhammer‘d style riff progressions on the title track but I couldn’t convince any of my peer group to give their music a shot until their third full-length (‘Incendium‘, 2014) added drummer F.V. (Heretic Cult Redeemer) and switched to a very different ratio of black/death metal which’d garnered comparisons to everything from Bølzer and Aeternus thanks to a heroic yet bludgeoning sense of movement and an expansion of the orthodox black metal. In some was their approach would vaguely line up with how Embrace of Thorns would develop but from different points of inspiration and in each case 2014 would prove a watershed year for their development and where decidedly more black/death metal devotees got on board. From that point the line-up appears stable and their work expanding in all directions with (‘Θ​Α​Ν​Α​Τ​Ο​Σ Α​Ι​Ω​Ν​Ι​Ο​Σ (The Termination Thesis)‘, 2018) pushing the limits of their more avant-garde compositional interlacing per the guitars and pacing while proposing a variety of ratios in black and death metal traits, though it reads as an abstract continuation of the first record overall. As a fan this was all well and good but I think what’d inspired me most was the feeling of growth, expansion in between each album which’d always yielded something different and somewhat new with each release. With ‘Ruins‘ I would instead begin to frame the two most recent albums from the band as similar meditations upon obliteration, something rabidly nihilistic in their creed which was coldly melancholic, tragedian in its depiction of cataclysm without sentiment.

A new slab, its levitation, and the tumult resultant. — A couple of substantial of changes set ‘Ruins‘ apart from Burial Hordes‘ two prior releases with the first being the addition of Ukrainian drummer Eugene Ryabchenko (Fleshgod Apocalypse) for this album’s session as he provides a pretty straightforward launch through these abstract yet brutal songs which push into the dissonant and atmospheric without losing their massivity. The general flow of the full listen is similar to that of ‘Incendium‘ but with a more battered kit overall with deeper rhythmic trudging through floated-out, dismal depictions of decimated landscapes and pronounced points of wrath in steady transition. They get right to these points of hammered ’til humming dynamics within opener “In the Midst of Vast Solitude“, one of the more typically wandering-spirited pieces on the album which sets the scope as immense, the movement violent and the dread thick. Fans of ‘Aura‘-era Bølzer should at least momentarily perk their ears at “Insubstantial” though there is some precedence in their back catalog for this approach which reads as a sublime and unexpected moment of warmth before the shattering brutality of the song begins to slap on, ultimately developing an abysmal flowing-downward shape. The balance of muscular and abrupt death metal assail in gentle transition between hypnotic blackened death seance really is what these folks have always been best at and this time around I’d say they’ve merged these tides together more seamlessly than ever. This isn’t the complete oeuvre of ‘Ruins‘ on full display just yet but the first three or so songs on the full listen provide hills, valleys, chasms and lingering surrealistic atmosphere in droves.

In approach of the closing moments of Side A “A Wandering Stream of Wind” forms a bridge of unique chord shaping and a surprising turn of the wheel at its mid-point ~3:05 minutes in as Burial Hordes ease upon the monumental carnage of the first third of the album as the middle third intends to sprawl and spasm with inventive riffcraft of an even more intimate mood. Distress builds with each piece from this point and the blackened side of the band begins to unfurl and flex as we reach a point of harrowing enlightenment. This soon presents us with what I’d consider the storming heart, the vortex at the core of the listening experience wherein the draining persistence against the riptide that is “Infinite Sea of Nothingness” is rousing to say the least, a piece which nearly outweighs the albums opening moments in terms of its eruptive spectacle and thrashing movements. From there the disso-dance of their phrasing builds into wretched tarantella (“Isotropic Eradication”) and an almost Ulcerate-esque spike (“Purgation”) before a bone-shattering topple to the bottom of the pit, fully in despair as we collapse within closer “…To the Threshold of Silence”. I’ve sort of danced around the particulars of these final songs because I’d felt like this is the destination the greater momentum of the album builds itself up to, a fully-charged exploding point. What Side B presents should be an obvious point of captivation for fans of this style of chaotic yet expressive black/death metal. As grotesque and satisfyingly gnarled as Side A is the blustering accost of the second half of this album is necessary to produce the lasting sensation that ‘Ruins‘ goes places, or, goes anywhere at all with its core idea and this helps the experience stand out and stain the mind rather than blur past.

As a full listen ‘Ruins‘ does generate memorable riffcraft and some strong variation within the signature they’ve made more crystalline since ~2014 or so, not only do they manage plenty of riff driven moments within each song but some brilliant motion generated between classic and modern black/death metal style suggests an enduring and substantial vision. This fits well along the lines of compatriots Heretic Cult Redeemer and Embrace of Thorns as each group continues to hone a wholly unique world, this one being particularly free in its movement and tense in its brutality but able to fill the air with stinking dread just as well. There is a presence to this record which is mean and tormented in the best way while also bearing some familiar elements, good ol’ tricks up their sleeve which occasionally surprise as they emerge; Otherwise the full experience benefits from an evocative macabre cover art from Khaos Diktator Design, an unpleasant scene which suits the mood of Burial Hordes particularly well alongside sound design/production values which allow for the music to bend, blur, and rescind into atmospheric tangent yet always delivering the hammer within any given directional swerve. For the existing fandom this is a given grab, essential for continuing the morbid existential thread and seeing it through. For newcomers I’d say this album makes its case up front in terms of events per minute, engaging performances and an ambitious meld of inspired riffcraft and abysm-gazing which persists in its escalations all the way through to the end. A high recommendation.

---