SACRED MOTHER TONGUE - review added 16th March 2009
Album Review: The Ruin Of Man (2009)
For fans of: metalcore... and drum skillz that killz
UK band Sacred Mother Tongue - Darrin South (vocals), Andy James (guitar), Josh Gurner (bass) and Lee Newell (drums) - have been around for a few years now and already have a well received EP under their belts. The Ruin Of Man is their first full length album.
Describing the album as heavy would be a gross understatement. This is bloodbath-brutal music with hints of Chimaira, Killswitch Engage and Stampin' Ground smeared on the side of a 40,000lb bomb.
But... it's also a friendly and 'happy' sounding album. There's no doom or depressing off-key riffs to decimate your enjoyment. As far as bombastic slices of the metal pie go, this is the one with a glace cherry on the top. The Ruin Of Man is as heavy as a tungsten asteroid, but the fact it's going to obliterate your world is surprisingly soothing.
Darrin has an intriguing voice which ranges from a respectable clean vocal to something that would give an imp goose bumps. He's no Howard Jones, but who is? He's certainly playing in the same ballpark as singers like Matt Heafy (Trivium).
The bass line is fatter than a hungry mosquito, the guitars are great with their soaring solo's and chugging hooks... but the drumming will shove a semtex booby trap into your mind, stub it's cigarette out on your forehead, then flick the detonator.The rhythmic side of The Ruin Of Man is so far off the scale it's forgotten the scale ever existed. Lee Newell needs a pat on the back so big it could kill him. It'll be interesting to see him in action at a live show. I suspect he will look like a blurred version of Animal from The Muppets.
Few of the songs stand out as future 'mix tape' favourites, but the overall feel is of a beautifully cohesive wrecking ball of an album. One exception is 'Force Fed' with it's awesome off-the-beaten-track rhythms and leftfield guitar wanderings. Parts of 'The Man You Tried To Hide' hint at Serpents Of The Light era Deicide. The lyrics don't tread the same path, but the music is hewn from the same lump of volcanic rock.
If you fancy an album full of individually perfect songs you are probably barking up the wrong dog's a*se with this release. If you want an album that will decimate your stereo, tear apart your ear drums, knock low flying planes from the sky and, er, possibly make your parents think your musical tastes are improving, The Ruin Of Man is your new alter, and Sacred Mother Tongue are your new gods.
Check out... 'Force Fed'. We like.
Track List:
1. The End
2. Anger On Reflection
3. Force Fed
4. Two Thousand Eight Hundred
5. The Man You Tried To Hide
6. Talking To The Ears Of The Deaf
7. ...The Assassin
8. The Suffering
9. Wake Up Call
10. Numb
11. ...My Sins Have Become My Fears
12. A Final Idea
13. Hour Glass
Artist's websites: MySpace
