Menace Ruine

Up until now I believed that Menace Ruine would not release anything that I would find mind blowing. Their three previous albums (Cult of Ruins, The Die Is Cast and Union of Irreconcilables), although good releases, could not prepare me at the slightest for what Menace Ruine was able to conjure with Alight In Ashes. The band brings together elements from a myriad of different influences and their ability to blend all these different sounds together is truly breathtaking. Ranging from black metal melodies, post-industrial ambiance, and neo folk parts all of which are wrapped together into a drone/noise/experimental package, Alight In Ashes is an intriguing release.

From the opening song of the album, "Set Waters To Flames" with its Burzum-esque melody the album is taking you to a psychedelic trip into a post-apocalyptical world. With ingenious use of effects and drones (for example in "Burnt Offerings") in order to create the wall of sounds effects and their ability to generate imposing sonic landscapes and all of that working in addition with a general ritualistic/ceremonial theme to most of their songs (especially in the closing track of the album "Cup of Oblivion") giving a dystopian quality to the atmosphere of the album. It makes you feel like you are being drowned in sounds. 

As if that is not enough they also include almost medieval folk moments, for instance in the second song of the album "Salamandra," as well as dissonant, unconventional parts like in the beginning of "Arsenikon (Faded In Discord)." Of course the other highlight of Alight In Ashes is Genavieve’s vocals. Cutting like a knife through the noise and drones, it is unquestionably one of the finest performances I have heard by a vocalist. Having the ability to transfer feelings of melancholy, mesmerizing the listener, as if she was a siren singing, as an almost twisted (in a good way…no, in a brilliant way) version of Lisa Gerard. 

To sum up Alight In Ashes is an excellent, unexpected release, showing the full potential of Menace Ruine. But be careful, it is an album that will take multiple listens in order to fully get it, but once you do… there will be no escaping it.

9.5 / 10 — Spyros Stasis