Review “Self Titled” by Idle Ruin

Having witnessed the bands he was a member of disintegrate around him during the Great Plague, Liam Anthony, who for many years has played drums for numerous Australian Thrash and Death Metal acts including Malakyte, Bone Marrow, Spektre and Decapitated Mum set about writing songs for a Blackened Thrash infused Death Metal project of his own because let’s face it, idle hands are the devil’s workshop. He then enlisted the help of bassist Josh Dawson (Decapitated Mum, Powerful Owl) and guitarist Kaleb Doherty (When Death Replaces Life), both of whom he knew Brisbane’s Metal community, having also played with both musicians in a previous grindcore band and as like minded musicians, Idle Ruin was born.

All three musicians contributing to the vocals makes for a solid foundation and with the impressive headbangable percussive performance of “Whipped To Death“, it’s clear that when it comes to Metal in Australia, no apple seems to fall far from the tree, the hotbed of talent that occupies their territory just gained another trio of heroes. The song pretty much has everything you could want from something of this ilk. Blast beasts, blistering rapid fire riffs that leave the fretboard smoking and whammy bar action galore. That’s just the start.. The communication of disease by Spiritual contact is the subject of “Spiritual Contagion“, a ripper of a cut with blood gargling vocals in the Church burning territory of Black Metal lyrically with Thrash riffs in Blackened tones but the cake is taken by stand out cut “The Devil’s Trade“, with its flesh from bone rantings and whammy bar madness. Anthony sets the pace with a rumbling high energy incendiary kit performance and all three chant the title in a rabid fashion which is is going to go down well once they are finally able to play these songs live. Ranting, raving, spitting and snarling “Gods of Glass” is a bit stompier, sounding like Exodus fronted by Cradle of Filth vocalist Dani Filth before a couple of creepier segments move into play. The future of Idle Ruin is written in blood and carved in stone. They are set to breakout and plague the Globe [8/10]

Track listing

1. Whipped To Death
2. Spiritual Contagion
3. The Devil’s Trade
4. Gods of Glass

“Self Titled” by Idle Ruin is out 4th December 2020 with pre-orders available over at bandcamp