Review: “Requiem” by Ominous Ruin

Four years between albums is a long time in anyone’s book but given the qualities of their critically acclaimed debut 2021 “Amidst Voices That Echo in Stone“, San Francisco Californian Technical Death Metal juggernaut Ominous Ruin have been given artistic licence to take their time. At this point the project has existed since 2010, specialising in quality over quantity while suffering from numerous line up changes all along the way. However stability has now been found with four fifths of the line up which handed in that record like an end of term paper appearing on this new magnum opus. Joining original guitarist Alex Bacey (ex-Inanimate Existence) and bassist Mitch Yoesle (Odious Mortem, Tegmentum) are drummer Harley Blandford (Enigma, ex-Arcane Existence) and guitarist Joel Guernsey (Axial, ex-Desecrion) with new vocalist Crystal Rose a familiar face. She provided guest vocals on “Deception” from that 2021 affair and now holds the microphone full time, something which is an intriguing prospect for long term fans. However curiously enough, one glance at the liner notes reveals that the lyrics and concepts of the record are the work of former vocalist Adam Rosado…

…meaning that arguably we wait for Rose to get the opportunity to stamp her authority on Ominous Ruin. While not a concept record in the conventional sense, there are a number of overarching themes within the confines of “Requiem“, the five piece exploring the human psyche, the ravages of time and the inevitable descent into oblivion over its duration. While not to everyone’s taste, a fifty six second introduction piece that combines melodic guitars with piano sets the scene, acting like a palate cleanser. That means that the savage “Seeds of Entropy” hits that much harder, technical riffs flowing from the fretboards of both guitars as Rose demonstrates her vocal prowess. Harsh and fierce her approach is reminiscent of Candace Kucsulain of Walls Of Jericho but with a deeper, darker growl, meaning that the lyrics aren’t disguised for even a second. The band have opted for a sound that doesn’t bludgeon but instead rages like a tornado, sweeping across the territories and destroying everything in its path with awe inspiring verve and swagger. Racing along at breakneck pace “Eternal” absolutely crushes before breaking mid track for an ambient passage that is surprisingly immersive. It’s a strange, almost haunting moment but oddly it doesn’t break up the flow of the track and instead ensures that when it comes back to life, its with a venomous roar. Bombastic basslines and razor sharp riffs fly in all directions while the pummelling percussion from Blandford is incredibly imaginative.

Instrumental “Bane of Syzygial Triality” takes a leaf from the book of those early ones from Metallica with a creepy cosmos vibe building as it plays out. Acoustic guitars weave an intricate pattern to create a sense that something wicked this way comes and it does in the form of the bone smashing “Divergent Anomaly“. Spitting blood within the first second, Rose barks and bites like a caged animal throwing itself against the bars, a vibrant technical solo soaring above the chaos. A stunning second with a glorious tapped section is jaw droppingly good, tearing a hole in the time space continuum with urgent melodies of a surgically precise nature. What works fantastically well about this one is that the solos don’t overpower the track as a whole, the rest of the band providing the substance to mount them like a picture frame. Space age synths introduce “Fractal Abhorrence” before a thunderous first verse Rose settles the nerves, the band refusing to go off on a Progressive Metal tangent and instead getting back to basics. Dark melodies are twisted vines that grow around bursts of violent turbulence, the angular riffs infused with spine juddering moments as the percussion batters at the skull, begging to be let in. What’s incredible about this is that while the guitars are menacing and sinister, they’re not abundantly tonally heavy and don’t rely on any form of distortion to get the message across.

A foreboding extended instrumental gives rise to punchy first verse as “Architect of Undoing” unfolds, the song a nightmarish vision over eight minutes of sonic abrasions. It represents death by a thousand notes, the intricate guitars and flamboyant solo threatening to steal the show from the punishing rhythm section like taking candy from a baby. Instead their pair work in perfect harmony, in the later half groove laden parts rising to the fore like a beast from the black depths before Rose commands the attention once more, her demonic vocals scalding the ear canals. Sorter, faster and more poisonous “Staring into the Abysm” sounds like something The Faceless might have produced in their early days. A breakneck rampage through the backwoods armed with an axe pausing only for a distorted spoken word finishes on a breathless note before morphing into something you might expect to hear on the Twin Peaks soundtrack. Saving the album title track to last is an intriguing decision but “Requiem” works very well in this context, constantly shifting with precision, power and creativity. Once again the complexity of the riffs is stunning but also very well balanced so you get the ferocity and intensity at the same time and every instrument shines. Enthralling, captivating and immersive, Ominous Ruin have hit another home run here [9/10]

Track Listing

1. Intro
2. Seeds of Entropy
3. Eternal
4. Bane of Syzygial Triality (Instrumental)
5. Divergent Anomaly
6. Fractal Abhorrence
7. Architect of Undoing
8. Staring into the Abysm
9. Requiem

“Requiem” by Ominous Ruin is out 9th May 2025 via Willowtip Records and is available over at bandcamp.