It's always somewhat amusing for me to listen to a raw black metal act a bit before peaking over at the band's origin. The genre is taking over all corners of the world from Norway to New York City. Enter Fell Ruin, a group that sounds straight outta Bergen (what a great mash-up that would be), but in truth hails from Detroit, Michigan. Despite what some might consider a regional handicap, their 4 song EP, Devices, is a strong celebration of the old kvlt sound.
Fell Ruin's focus seems to be on alternating the gloomy and the garish. Both “The Climb” and “The Accord” utilize a heavy dose of doom metal in addition to black and death. The result can sound downright isolated, dark, and dreary. But just when the hearse seems to have settled into cruise control, the listener is assaulted by 2nd wave. The end result is not unlike classic tracks like "Freezing Moon.." In fact, Devices overall plays out like Mayhem in it's use of chilling melodies and sheer aggression, right down to the similar cavernous howls.
Within the short runtime, Fell Ruin manage to provide a few ups and downs to shake things up. The brief acoustic interlude was a welcome surprise, as were some of the transitions between doom and black. “The Hundr” also does a good job of setting up the final track, which opens with a bouncy bass guitar riff to complement the frenetic drumming. Speaking of which, the production on the drums is excellent. It sounded like August Krueger was in the car right with me.
The EP is available for $3.99 on bandcamp. You can stream it below or via the album page before making a decision. I, for one, am glad there are black metal groups in the US that don't always feel to the need to Americanize a classic sound. Perhaps even Fenriz would approve.
