Album Review: Ruin - "Spread Plague Death" 8.2 (Death Metal)

Written by Zax

Ruin – “Spread Plague Death”
Old School Death Metal from the United States
Released on August 27th, 2021 via Nameless Grave Records and Goat Throne Records
8.2

The new wave of OSDM revival has been good all around in my opinion. Of course you have the all stars like Tomb Mold and Blood Incantation who are killing it, but if you dig just a little deeper, there’s a subset of bands who are grinding out this ultra esoteric, authentic brand of OSDM, type of shit where you could tell me it came out in ’89 and I’d believe you, that’s what you really want to look for. What we’re also seeing a lot of is actual OSDM bands from the early 90s coming back from the dead to unleash ungodly amounts of brutality, such is the case with California’s Ruin.

https://thedeathmetalcult.bandcamp.com/album/spread-plague-death

This new album is some low down, nasty ass shit y’all. It’s such a classic formula that these guys have clearly mastered. It’s also quite the simple formula which doesn’t leave me with a boatload to dissect in this review, but there are a couple of things that make this release really special.

The riffs on this album are tremendous you guys. First time I threw this on I cranked it up real loud and felt those rumbling bass lines pulsating through my body, I felt those dirty, downtuned chainsaw riffs tearing through my speaker. I really can’t think of a more perfect guitar tone to portray such depravity as this. Then of course the percussion is absolutely nuts, the blastbeats on this record are no joke either.

Already we’ve a pretty disgusting atmosphere built here, but what could make this more classic, more raw? Well, the gruesome samples, of course! Almost every track wields a horrific sample, or an unsettling, distorted intro/outro.

On top of that, the vocals are pure filth. Vocalist Mike Nelson has an ungodly, unmistakable guttural that fits perfectly with the instrumentals.

This record really dropped at the perfect time. It’s definitely on the scary, violent side of things, and if you’re looking for some metal to spice up this Halloween season, look no further friends.

8.2