Ruin Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
MIHAIL: RUIN is a heavy death metal band. If you enjoy maggots spewing out of your speakers and "music" that will make you puke, you will enjoy RUIN.


2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?
MIHAIL: The sound inside of our heads is that of murder and darkness. We wish to convey those things with what we conceive in our torture chamber. The atmosphere should be suffocating and hopeless. This is how we feel inside, so this is how everyone else will feel that listens to this filth.

3.The band was broken up for more than 20 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
MIHAIL: Many factors worked against this project/band over the years. Including but not limited to criminal incarcerations, disappearances,mental institutions and other problems that limited the progress of the
band. The hunger never left, the dark heart was always beating. Once I figured out my situation, I tried to gather the proper maniacs needed for this. D-Muerte is part of the main leadership of this cult. We also have
been able to utilize some great comrades to help us spread this plague. Now we focus on the present and the future.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
MIHAIL: The rantings are that of a murderer on a psychedelic journey past the mind and into other regions, other "worlds". Although situations that take place here on earth are also present. In so many words: Death,
Murder, Blood, Serial Killers, Mass Murder, Darkness.... Those are some topics. Over all, the death of "Mankind" as we know it is the main theme here.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ruin'?
MIHAIL: It fit our vision of what we wanted to convey perfectly.

6.The members reside in both California and North Dakota, how does this work in the recording process?
MIHAIL: We are actually nomads. You might see the location/home base of this band change from time to time. Currently, we seem to frequent the quiet vastness of the California high desert and the rough plains of North Dakota, since we have deep roots in both locations/environs. When the recording schedule is arranged and set, we assemble and accomplish the project. No matter what the circumstances. Technology is also of great assistance with file sharing and ideas spread quickly, even though we are basically cave people that live off the grid. We have some amazing comrades that assist us with getting the process done and getting our music sessions transmitted out to those who seek it.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
MIHAIL: We have only done a handful of shows so far, the first being with our old friend Matt and his band GRUESOME in 2015. We had a set of three shows in 2016 with WARMASTER (a stop in L.A. before their Japanese tour), UNDERGANG and SPECTRAL VOICE in the summer and finally one with COME TO GRIEF(former GRIEF members who are also old friends). The stage performance is just the band, VERY loud and focused on bringing forth our version of death metal. In the future, we may plan on working on some things with the live performances(visual images, lighting, etc...)

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
MIHAIL:  We don't plan on doing very many live performances. Taking part in any type of "scene" disgusts us. So we choose wisely and patiently as far as shows to perform at. We make exceptions for comrades that come up with a good line up/situation to take part in. Once we have some more releases out there, we shall see what the interest is for us to head out to those who support what we do, are out of our direct region and get to perform for them on tour. So NO plans as of the present.

9.Recently you where a part of a split with 'Ghoulgotha', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?
MIHAIL: GHOULGOTHA is an awesome band and a perfect fit for this split and the concept of it. They approach the doom/death way a bit differently than RUIN does, but it makes for a great release in our opinion. Wayne from GHOULGOTHA is a friend of ours and we did this release as a tribute for our great mutual friend Chris "Reaper" Campbell (Martyrvore vocalist) who passed away earlier this year.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?
MIHAIL: We are disconnected from most of society, so our direct communication with people is limited. What we have heard from the labels and other people who have helped us out so far is positive. And the
feedback from the live performances has been positive as well. Those who support RUIN by releasing our music, if they are happy, then we are happy. Also, those who pay money to come see RUIN live, if they are satisfied, then so are we.

11.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
MIHAIL: "Drown in Blood" is the name of the debut full length RUIN album. As of my writing tonight, the release date will be sometime in late March2017. There will be 8 new songs of death metal on there. The CD release will be handled by Memento Mori Records. The 12 inch vinyl release will be handled by Blood Harvest Records. The cassette tape release will be handled by Nero One Records/Von Frost Records. The future will only bring more madness and absolute terror by this cult. Expect more heavy and simple death metal.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
MIHAIL: Influences: HELLHAMMER/FROST, VENOM, SODOM, AUTOPSY, SLAUGHTER,
REPULSION, MASTER, SARCOFAGO, DEATH, SABBATH, CANDLEMASS, DREAM DEATH,
TROUBLE, SAINT VITUS, a ton of 80s/early 90s death metal from Sweden, Finland and the U.K., even stuff like early NAPALM DEATH, IMPETIGO, MORTICIAN. Also heavy and crazy punk/hardcore like DISCHARGE, AMEBIX, MOB 47, SEPTIC DEATH, THE ACCUSED, etc... What do I listen to nowadays?: Allof my classic albums and old demo tapes of course! Also INFERNAL CURSE,
MORDBRAND, CARDIAC ARREST, MASTER OF CRUELTY, SCORCHED, CHURCH OF DISGUST, WITCHTRAP, HEXENSLAUGHT, BESTIAL RAIDS, PROFANAL, BLACK FUCKING CANCER and PUTRIFIED are some bands I have been enjoying recently.

13.How would you describe your views on Occultism?
MIHAIL: We proudly proclaim that we are practitioners in many things that are involved with the Occult and it's practices. Yet this is our personal, deep seeded way of life and our specific areas of study. It is not to
share with the public as far as where we stand and what we "believe" in faith wise. We will not bore our brethren out there, nor alienate them either. This type of personal stuff has no business in music as far as we
are concerned. The live performances can be considered a "ritual", yet that would mean we are "above" the audience and that we are performing some sort of religious experience. In reality the live performance is a
release of energy for us. Furthermore, the music that RUIN does is too dirty and raw to be part of anything sanctimonious, even sanctimony geared towards the dark arts. RUIN comes from the sewer, the under belly of this world. NEVER forget that! We have great respect for many Occult beliefs, with using some of these ancient and newer belief structures and philosophies in our lives. Yet we have an ultimate disdain for 99% of the man made religions out there. We have a complete disgust for the weak who choose to use religion as their crutch in their existence. We are wolves among sheep in that sense. More than ever, the world has become a cesspool of religious fanaticism with people shoving their beliefs down other's throats, with their precious books in hand. Religion has a set of rules to live by, mythology to understand the world, and terminology to define one's own spirituality with. The Occult, on the other hand, is a set of tools to change one's life, a method of communication to demand answers from the world and methods to take an active roll in one's own spirituality. Those who follow a religion are passive observers in their spiritual world, whereas those who practice the occult have chosen to take an active role in the spiritual world around them and within them. I don't "pray to god", I utilize the power inside of myself, communicating with the powers around me. Occultists don't say, "everything has a reason," they demand an explanation from everything. I don't sit back and hope fora miracle, I will create the miracle if needed.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
MIHAIL: I read books voraciously, like a maniac. I'm interested in all subjects, but usually the dark side of life and history. I'm also a movie freak. From classics to modern(as long as they are good!) but here I tend
to bend towards horror and crime movies. Since I'm an older human being and have the metabolism of NOTHING I have to exercise and lift weights to try and maintain my health. I'm not really connected to mainstream type behavior and prefer to be out in the wilderness with my dogs, hang out with friends/family and of course the rest of our RUIN CULT. I have been also entertaining the idea getting into writing books. We shall see how this unfolds.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
MIHAIL: Salut to you Kuba and Propaganda Chaosu! "Drown in Blood" is coming. Also keep those plague infested ears and eyes ready for our other upcoming releases, in conspiracy with some great comrades: split 7 inch with VIOLATION WOUND on Fudgeworthy Records, split 12 inch with ANARCHUS on Fat Ass Records, a 12 inch 4 song RUIN MLP on Morbid Reality Records and a 14 song discography CD of what RUIN has unleashed so far on HPGD Productions. RUIN CULT ETERNAL!

Prisoner 639/Throw Me In The Crater/EveryDayHate/2016 Split Ep Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Belgium's  Prisoner  639  and  Netherlands's  Throw  Me  In  The  Crater  which was  released  by  EveryDayHate  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Prisoner  639  a  duo  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  primitive  form  of  power  violence.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  distorted  drone  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  bass  and  drums  making  their  presence  known  in  the  song  that  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  sludge  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  and  brings  in  blast beats  and  growling  vocals  along  with  a  great  amount  of  grindcore  and  power  violence  elements  and  the  track  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion Prisoner  639  are  a  very  great  sounding  power  violence  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Throw  Me  In  The  Crater  a  band  that  plays  a  very  heavy  form  of  sludge.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  drum  beats  and  distorted  amp  sounds  before  going  into a  heavier  sludge  and  doom  metal  direction  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  after  awhile  screams  are  added  into  the  song  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Throw  Me  in  The  Crater  are  a  very  great  sounding  sludge  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  song.

  In  conclusion  I  think  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  power  violence  and  sludge.  8  out  of  10.

Herem/III/Inverse Records/Full Length Review

  Herem  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "III"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Inverse  Records.

  Distorted  amp  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  sludge  style  screams  making  their  presence  known  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Stoner  rock  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  guitars  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction and  clean  vocals  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Herem  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Herem  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Snakes  Of  The  Third  Moon"  and  "Edge  of  the  World".  8  out  of  10.    

Matalobos/Arte Macabro/Concetro Records/2016 CD Review

  Matalobos  are  a  band  from  Mexico  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Arte  Macabro"  which  was  released  by  Concretro  Records.

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  violins  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  that  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  and  screams  are  also  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Clean  singing  vocals  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length and  classical  guitars  are  also  used  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  one  track  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  slow  doom  metal  style.

  Matalobos  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  from  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  depression  and  murder themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Matalobos  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  doom/death  metal,you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Macabre"  and  "Built  By  Souls".  8  out  of  10.  

 

Ghost Of Mary/Oblivaeon/Revalve Records/2016 CD Review

  Ghost  Of  Mary  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  goth  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Oblivaeon"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Revalve  Records.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  goth  style  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  that  also  have  a  symphonic  edge  to  them  and  stringed  instruments  are  also  used  at  times  and  after  the  intro  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  all of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  After  awhile  the  music starts  getting  more  heavy  and  melodic  while  also introducing  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  onto  the  recording  while  also  mixing  the  clean  and  symphonic  parts  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  blast  beats  are  also  utilized  at  times.  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  classical  music  can  be  heard  and  they  also  bring  in  an  instrumental  before  going  back  to  vocal  tracks.

  Ghost  Of  Mary plays  a  music  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  goth  and  symphonic  elements  along  with  a  touch  of  doom  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  ;ife  and  death  with  a  metaphysical  touch.

  In  my  opinion  Ghost  Of  Mary  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  goth  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Moon  And  The  True"  "Nothing"  and  "The  End  Is  Only  The  Beginning".  8  out  of  10.  

Ghoulgotha/Ruin/Churning In Vertabrates/Becoming Disease/Blood Harvest Records/2016 7 Inch Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split ep  between  California's  Ghoulgotha  and  California/North  Dakota's  Ruin  called  "Churning  In  Vertabrates/Becoming  Disease"  which  was  released  by  Blood  Harvest  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Ghoulgotha  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark,  heavy  and  old school  sound  with the  slow  riffing  being  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  start  to  make  their  presence  known  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  and  the  leads  are  also  very  melodic, the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  darkness,  and  abstract  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Ghoulgotha  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Ruin  another  band  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  horror  movie  style  screams  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  after  a  few  seconds  death  metal growls  along  with  some  grim screams  and  doom  metal  elements  also  make  their  presence  known  and  the  riffing  also  goes  into a   mid  paced  direction  after  awhile,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ruin  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genre,you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  doom  and  death  metal.  8 out  of  10.

  http://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/churning-in-vertebraes-becoming-disease-7ep   

MorphiuM/The Blackout/Mass Productions/2016 CD Review

  MorphiuM  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  gothic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Blackout"  which  was  released  by  Mass  Productions.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  some  death  metal  growls  making  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  while  goth  style  clean  singing  is  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the r ecoridng  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  female  vocals  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of t he  songs  while  the  keyboards  bring  in  more  elements  of  goth  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style and  some  of  the  riffing  brings  in a   modern  prog  metal  sound  and  black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  briefly  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic guitars  as  the  album  progresses  while  a later  track  introduces  nu  metal  style  vocals  onto  the  recording  and when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  MorphiuM  plays  a  music  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  goth  and  death  metal  while  also  mixing  in  elements  from  black,  doom,  prog  and  nu  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  madness,  rage,  love  and  society  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  MorphiuM  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  goth  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "What  Lies  Beyond  Words"  "Point  Of  No  Return"  "All  You Are"  and  "Blindfolded".  8  out  of  10.