I keep waiting for the Blackened/Symphonic deathcore movement to burn out, but nope, it appears 2025 is going to be an even better year than 2020 and 2025. Of course, the 800 lb gorilla in the room will be the forthcoming album from Lorna Shore, and then a 600 lb gorilla with Shadow of Intent.

But some other lesser-known but really good bands have dropped or are dropping albums in 2025; To Obey A Tyrant, When Plagues Collide, Blinded by Hate, and Existentialist have all dropped killer EPs. Hate Within, Kneel Before the Death, Seilkanker, Sunscourge, and Sold Soul have also already released stellar efforts. And we finally have the long-awaited second album from Russia’s Sin Deliverance, arguably my second most anticipated album of the year, and hopefully an album from Australia’s Complexant.

Enter Nashville’s Ov Ruin, who formed in 2022, and have been on my radar since. They have dropped a few fine singles since forming, and recently, 4 tracks from this album over the last few months.  And boy is thier debut a scorcher of an effort that should instantly elevate the band well into that second tier of bands playing the style with the bands mentioned above as we well as Sin Deliverance, Eden Adversary, Bonecarver, Winters Gate, Worm Shepherd, Enemies Everywhere, Dismebodied Tyrant, Dethrone the Corrupted, Assemble the Chariots and such. (The big 4 still remain Lorna, Shadow, Mental Cruelty, and A Wake in Providence IMHO).

And what makes Ov Ruin sooooo good is the orchestral compositions, especially the choirs, rendered here by guitarist Devin Wade and Drummer Jake Thompson with some help from Hate Within‘s Harry Tayadon (which tracks now as Hate Within‘s recent Tomb of the Tormentor is fucking epic too). Seriously, these guys and guys like Hate Within, Winters Gate, Complexant, Sin Deliverance, and Assemble the Chariots are simply composing stunning, cinematically epic pieces to go with the blistering deathcore, which in this case leans heavily into the ‘blackened’ side, akin to Existentialist and To Obey A Tyrant.  And of course, clear, unabashed nods to the big 4 I mentioned – notably Immortal and ..AIRTN era Lorna Shore and the last Mental Cruelty album. And when armed with a Blake Mullens (Disembodied Tyrant) production, it all sounds simply fucking epic.

Right from the get go, with the fucking epic choirs that start “Infernal Flame” to standout closer “Suffer In Silence”, the album is a perfectly timed 38 minutes of genre perfection. Songs that I hadn’t heard before, like the utterly blistering favorite “Distant Memory”, “Cursed” all fit right in with the other killer tracks I had already heard, like “Flesh and Bone”, “Forsaken Soul”, and the stellar title track. The only track I was kind of lukewarm on was “Winter’s Night”, as it’s simply too repetitive and never goes anywhere, even with the dramatic choirs and keys.

As is the norm, there a a few guests that help out from the Brojob chaps, Casey Neeedler (Abbadonia) and Isiah Drisscoll (Befouled Tongue). But let’s be honest, everyone is trying to out-snarl and snort Will Ramos over an ever-slowing breakdown (i.e, “Distant Memory”, “Cursed”, “Eternal Lament”, and “Suffer in Silence”- all have them), so there’s little to differentiate. And I’m good with it, especially with orchestration and music this fucking good.

And finally, on a side note, good for Ov Ruin teaming up with Crestfallen Records (who are building a nice little niche in the genre) for making physical copies, something quite a few bands I mentioned above do not have.

[Visit the band's website]

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