Review: “Ruin” by Wounds

Five years after their debut EP “Light Eater” dredged up the ocean floor, Chicago natives Wounds have a debut album in the offering that threatens to split tectonic plates. Tracked and mixed by Paul Aluculesei (Outrun The Sunlight, Warforged, Through The Eyes Of The Dead) before being mastered by the band themselves, the record is one that blends 2000’s era Technical Death Metal with an amalgamation of influences in alchemy. Originally formed as “Wounds of Ruin” back in 2006 by drummer Nate Burgard and guitarist Rick Mora as an instrumental outfit, the band evolved into Wounds with the addition of vocalist Norman Hale before a long hiatus. Returning in 2016 with Franco Caballero on bass, the band wrote and recorded the aforementioned EP before a 2019 unveiling…

…Paying homage to their roots, instrumental introduction piece “Of Ruin” sets the tone for the record with complex groove laden riffs that have clearly been refined in the fires of time, awakening the inner mosh pit beast in the discerning listener before the vocals come into play with “The Archfiend’s Apothecary“. Hale brings the blood and thunder as a psychotic serial killer of a vocalist who has a concrete alibi but stands beside the corpse of the victim with blood on his calloused hands. Playing with tempo and texture, the rhythmic dynamics are as impressive as Hale’s bark and bite, bringing to mind the groove of bands like Pissing Razors as well as the technical approach of a Psycroptic and all it lacks is a flamboyant solo. Throwing fuel on the fire “Doom Incarnate” increases the intensity levels with malicious intent, the interplay between the bass and guitar adding another dimension. Far from a blunt force trauma, this one hits like a beer bottle to the skull and you can feel every shard of glass as it breaks the skin.

Then seemingly form out of nowhere Hale brings a shriller voice to “In The Maw Of The Beast” that will make you do a double take while a monstrous pick slide is a moment of pure pleasure. Who doesn’t love a perfectly executed pick slide?! Anyway… the technical riffing on this one is immense and drills through the skull with consummate ease. Forget Chicago, Wounds should be on the international touring circuit with the quality on display here. A call from the abyss “Birth Of A New Light” is a beast of a cut and is a stand out performance from Burgard behind the kit; his innovative fills, jack hammer footwork and busts of blasting masterfully delivered. Reaching Inferi levels of technicality with a menacing and sinister approach “Dismember And Devour” sends a shiver down the spine with polyrhythmic movements that are nothing short of spell binding. What’s great about it is that everything is well thought out so each movement has maximum impact and there is very little fat that could be trimmed, if any at all. The cavernous, savage roared words of Hale in the final verse feel like the wrath of a demon, their power enough to keep the lights on in a metropolis if harnessed.

All of these cuts have a sense of fun to them and arguably none more so than “Zoophagist“. A vicious little ditty that leaves scorch marks on fretboards with tight, aggressive and controlled riffing, the false ending and break back for a groove laden finale is stunningly executed and will incite mosh pit violence when played live. Approaching from the night side “Ready Your Mind For The Grind” has roots in “The Great Southern Trendkill” era Pantera but has evolved to the nth degree to reach savage new levels of destructive power. It would be interesting to hear what Mora could do in terms of beefing up a cut from the Groove Metal pioneers but for now, this is as close as you’re probably going to get and is magnificent in it’s own right. They say all good things must come to an end, to which we always ask why; here “Bent On Disaster” smashes the clock in fear as gritty tale of survival plays out in style with Hale suggesting a Nuclear Winter maybe on the horizon. This is enough to make you want to grab a friend, get them in a headlock and run head first off into oncoming traffic. It’s that good. [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Of Ruin
2. The Archfiend’s Apothecary
3. Doom Incarnate
4. In The Maw Of The Beast
5. Birth Of A New Light
6. Dismember And Devour
7. Zoophagist
8. Ready Your Mind For The Grind
9. Bent On Disaster

“Ruin” by Wounds is out 15th March 2024 via Everlasting Spew Records and  is available over at bandcamp.