Face of Ruin (New Vocalist and New Songs Up!!&'s Blog
-
New Vocalist, New Material, HUGE Update!!!
First and foremost, we'd like to thank everyone in the Milwaukee and Midwest metal scenes for their patience during our recent transitional stage. We could have walked away, which would have been easy, but that path is for the weak. Instead we continue all the more determined.
On that note----
It is with both excitement and profound respect that we welcome Matt Bishop as our vocalist. Take a few minutes and check out his work with Human Artifacts (www.myspace.com/humanartifacts) and Lividity (www.myspace.com/lividity). You'll find, in the context of death metal vocal ranges, that this will be a much needed expansion of our abilities...and we can't wait for you to hear the results.
The coming months are going to be filled with hard work and exciting results. We'll initially release our 3-song EP, both digitally and physically, in its original state. Ultimately we will rerecord the vocals but simply put we've kept you waiting long enough. This EP was produced masterfully by Jeramie Kling (Infernaeon, The Absence) and features a guest solo by Patrick Pintavalle of The Absence. It will be presented with artwork by the very talented Paul Gerrard (www.gerrardart.com).
We've already begun work on material for our first full-length album. We're determined to spread our unique blend of crushing death metal and progressive fuck-around in a stronger, more focused fashion than ever before.
The riffs will be heavier. The vocals will destroy. And you're all fucked.
(On Wednesday, November 10th Face of Ruin will be on Milwaukee's 91.7 WMSE playing LIVE in-studio, 9-Midnight, with Matt on vocals publicly for the first time! So tune in, kick back, and slam some brews while we fuck with your heads!) -
A slew of review, part two.
Globaldomination.com:
04/05/09 || theProphet
Face of Ruin hails from Milwaukee and their progressive death metal is some of the best music I’ve heard in quite a while. Guitarist Shane had the good taste of sending me their EP from last year, and I’m fucking thankful that he did. Thanks to him, I get to discover some awesome metal, and thanks to me, Face of Ruin gets some well deserved coverage on the almighty Global Domination.So why’s my male juices cascading down my muscular thighs over this? Well, it’s a safe bet that FoR has taken at least a couple of lessons from Gojira, a band that I personally enjoy very much. Also, as is the case with many EPs, Face of Ruin manages to keep the intensity throughout the album, which is an aspect that I often find aforementioned Frenchmen to be lacking.On its self titled EP, FoR displays some seriously advanced musicianship and songcrafting skills (this is progressive death after all) and the performances are tighter than Mother Theresa’s snatch. The material ranges from Meshuggah style broken down riffage, to insanely technical death metal passages, to almost Gothenburgain melodies here and there (which is okay since here the whole fucking musical concept doesn’t rely on pretty melodies). These parts are then sent swirling down a maelstrom of tempo changes and coupled with the fine-ass vocal delivery of mr. Ed McCoy (a name which we can only assume is an alias used for comic relief amongst all the mayhem and dementia).The production is very good as well, although adding a little more meat to the guitars would not hurt, and as an extra bonus, it would piss off Cattle Decapitation, which would be kinda funny since they would be mistaking a metaphor for actual murdering of animals for the sake of their flesh. But then again, I never said anything about animals…In conclusion, FoR shows off what might be THE best music I’ve ever heard in this category. The performances are flawless, the songwriting is awesome, and the production is joke inspiring. I’m also quite sure that all the band members are divinely handsome and endowed with penises that make flagpoles look like toothpicks. Of course, churning out 15 minutes of top notch material is one thing, but maintaining the same high quality for an entire full length is entirely different. However, you could say that my hopes for this lot are soaringly high.8 happy surprises out of 10.Six Seconds Magazine: BRUNO THOMPISWow! I have to say that these guys know how to play Technical Death Metal. This genre usually gets boring for a lot of people, due to the fact that it's full of time changes and variations in song structure. The listener just detach from the music after a few minutes. However, Face Of Ruin is not just another Technical Death Metal band, they know how to play without being boring.As soon as the opening track "Guilt Gutted By The Knife" starts we realized they don't follow the same pattern of Quo Vadis, for example. Their sound is a mix of extremely technical and aggressive guitars, precision drums, with a guttural vocal. Besides the opening track, the highlight of their first self-titled EP, which has an excellent recording production, is the track titled "Pleasure of Malevolence", where we can notice the complexity of their music and the virtuosity of their musicians.As I said before, Technical Death Metal tends to be boring for many listeners, specially bands that are technical only for the sake of being technical. But I believe that Face Of Ruin is on the right track to become great!MetalBite Review by JD on 6/29/2009
Face Of Ruin... even the name screams out that this band is pure Death Metal. That is what is promised by this Milwaukee based five piece, so that is exactly what you end up getting. Harsh as someone doing an acid gargle, brutal as a Antarctic storm and straight out heavy. The band is simply some of the most intense metal out there..
This is like almost no other band I have came across... Face Of Ruin has this progressive edge with their take on the music, yet they still are able to keep this barbaric sort of raw energy both musically and lyrically. These two sides are in perfect balance, which makes them more dangerous. Clearly, Face Of Ruin is a band that does not or will they ever coddle the listener, they just set out to pummel you note after note as you are listening to this EP.
What makes Face Of Ruin so amazing, is that no so hidden level of talent that oozes out of each metallic strike they do. With the two sides always straddling that perfect balance line of strength and finesse at all times, the outcome is that they come out with the most honest feeling music that can really play while continually blowing your ass off with every note. Adding in to the concoction of talent and heaviness, the lyrics that are there are bleak and barren as a hot day in the desert.
Face Of Ruin spins darkened tales of pure malice and searing pain that just adds that extra bit of sheer viciousness to the fun of it all... and making this band an act that is worthy to have the tag ‘Death Metal’ hung on them. They deliver what they set out to, and we are all mighty grateful for that.
Categorical Rating Breakdown
Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 8.5
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 8.5
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
-
A slew of review!
Hails and Horns May/June:
Ryan Ogle (Hails and Horns, Blabbermouth, ArtistDirect, Outburn)
If metal is going to remain a viable source of aggression, each new
generation of bands needs to do their part to keep the music moving
forward. Sure, retro thrash and old-school death metal still do and
always will kick ass, but those bands are doing little more than living
in a glorious past. On the flip side of the coin, there are those who
try a little too hard and wind up spawning a senseless mishmash of sounds
and styles thrown together in a way that makes me think of a frog in
a blender; it croaks in a big way. Then there are those who have managed
to blend the best of both worlds. Milwaukee’s FACE OF RUIN are one
of these bands. Deftly piecing together elements of death metal, melodic
Euro-metal, doomy breakdown core and good ole’ fashion, Midwest ass-bustery
in a way where no single influence overpowers another, FACE OF RUIN
is one of tomorrow’s most promising stage scorchers. The overall feel
of their debut EP is too far removed a more progressive minded THE BLACK
DAHLIA MURDER or CYNIC with a giant fucking sledge hammer. A less-than-stellar
production muddies the full effect of their brutality, but this is a
band on its way to good things.MetalReview.com:
Erik Thomas
Hailing from Wisconsin, Face of Ruin, ply a pretty competent if rough around the edges style of modern American death metal on their four song self released demo- that's to say it could be construed as technical death metal, deathcore or heavy metalcore, depending on your ear or personal preferences.
All four players are individually skilled, though as an outfit they could be a bit tighter. They play with a sort of classic technical death metal (Death, Atheist, etc) progressive influence pulsing underneath the modern exterior and the tech aspect is looser and more jangly and melodic rather than being for the throat overkill a la Beneath the Massacre or Origin. Also to their credit, there’s no breakdowns as such, just 15 minutes, four songs of well done technical metal. The third track “Bound Driven to the Altar” is the best of the bunch especially the guitar work just before the 2 minute mark and subsequent blast beat.
Closing track, “Extinction’s Birth” is a close second being the demo’s most savage track with a brief injection of semi cyber programming and a more overall sci-fi/cyber feel that reminds me of a rougher Obscura with a very slight deathcore lean. The production, as you’d expect from a four song self released demo isn’t exactly Jamie King or Zach Ohren quality, but it’s serviceable.
Very promising indeed.
Reviewed by xFiruath on April 25, 2009"In the short span of four songs taking up a mere sixteen minutes they pack about as much brutality and technicality as can possibly be crammed into such a small space."The Wisconsin four piece band Face of Ruin have arisen from Milwaukee to bring a technical death metal apocalypse in the form of their self-titled first EP. In the short span of four songs taking up a mere sixteen minutes, they pack about as much brutality and technicality as can possibly be crammed into such a small space. Boasting a few progressive touches, high speed death metal mayhem, and a touch of the melodic to keep everything from imploding, “Face of Ruin” shows enough promise to get any tech death fan salivating for a full length release.“Gutted By The Knife of Guilt” gets the EP started with a feedback heavy guitar working alongside a chunky bass line before the rapid fire drum beats work their way in. The fact that the bass is not only immediately audible but actually a major part of the song’s structure gives an indication of how Face of Ruin tries to buck the system and put their own spin on the genre. No matter how crushing and massive the dual guitar tones get, the bass almost always sticks along for the ride and keeps itself relevant. There are even several instances throughout the song where the guitars and drums stop entirely for a few seconds to let the bass take the spot light and then all the other instruments do an about face to play off of the melody for the next segment of the track.The drum work is also highly commendable, keeping an incredibly brisk pace through any given song. Some of the drum rolls are so quick that even the breakneck speed of the guitars seem slow by comparison. The final song, “Extinction’s Birth,” is basically a big tribute to the drummer, as the percussion takes over the track with the lightning speed beats and crashing cymbal work.There are frequent changes in the style and pacing of the guitars to keep the songs from getting stale. “Bound…Driven To The Altar” features a short guitar solo that heads off into seriously psychedelic territory, and the two guitarists often put the advantages of a dual guitar setup to good use, playing off each other’s riffs and working in opposite directions.Face of Ruin’s vocalist sticks pretty uniformly to the low death growl, with a few minor adjustments every now and again into a more throaty yell or a higher pitched scream. With all the change ups and interesting guitar elements it’s a shame there isn’t more vocal variation to keep pace. The progressive elements of the music would be much more noticeable if the growls didn’t stay in one place for such extended periods. Despite the band’s best efforts, there is also some bleed through between the songs, as there is only so much that can be done with guitars alone to break up the formula of fast death metal without resorting to non-metal elements like keyboards. Metal fans who are primarily interested in brutality or fast playing probably won’t see any issue there, however.“Face of Ruin” is a short but sweet showcasing of the band’s technical prowess and ability to keep songs mostly interesting despite some repetition. The entire EP is one big cacophony of high speed technical metal. Hopefully their upcoming full length release will expand on the ideas presented here and be a real death metal masterpiece.Highs: Technical, fast, and brutal death metal mayhemLows: Some bleed through between songs, the vocals could use more variationBottom line: A promising technical death metal debut EP in the vein of The Faceless
-
Florida recording, huge progressions, dive in.
Shane, Cris, and Jon just returned from Florida where they recorded some new tracks with Jeramie Kling (The Ansence, Infernaeon, Ninety Minute Reflex) was given the mighty task of putting up with our shit for an extended period of time.
But seriously, we had a killer time, the drum and guitar sounds we got at Jeramie's Smoke and Mirrors studio are literally HUUUUGE. We can't wait to get Ed and Noah's parts worked into the mix so we can finally get some new material out to all our fans.
Also, keep a particularly keep ear to your speakers when you get your copy, because you just might hear a guest solo by a guitarist from The Absence!
If you absolutely can't contain yourself, come out and see us live! We're playing new material at our upcoming shows!
-Face of Ruin
Very cool, cant wait to hear the new material ..m/