Why does it seem like a lot of the albums I’ve chosen to review in the past couple of months have been bands who haven’t released an album in close to ten years or more?  Is there something in the water that is making these bands come out of hiding and give 2023 a go?  Nine years is a long time to wait, but I suppose it is fair to say that Krieg waits for no one.  They arrive precisely when they mean to, and what better a day for Ruiner to drop than Friday, October 13th?

As stated, it’s been a minute since we’ve had a “proper” release (2014’s Transient) from the long-running and long-celebrated Philadelphia black metal outfit.  That is not to say they’ve been inactive or under the radar, though.  Between splits, singles and collaborations, they’ve managed to keep a steady output of work going, but, yes, there hasn’t been a full-length release in quite some time.  Throughout their almost 30 year tenure, Krieg has managed to include perhaps dozens of musicians in the fold, but Ruiner sees mastermind N. Jameson reunite with a relatively stable lineup that includes guitarist and producer A. Poole for eight new tracks of morose, hopeless and melancholic black metal.  If you know Krieg, you know those descriptors are the epitome of the style they play.  It’s dour, it’s frightening, it’s influenced heavily by the weight of the world and mental health struggles, but musically, these tracks span a lot more territory than just blast beats and tremolo picking.

Case in point, the opening track “Bulwark” crashes right into some 2spooky4me black metal goodness, all howling retches and thunderous drums, before settling into a midtempo groove featuring clean arpeggios and a more ambient atmosphere.  The track ping pongs back and forth between these two aesthetics, giving a distinct verse/chorus/verse feeling you just don’t get from black metal.  Similarly, “Solitary, a Future Renounced” sees Poole weave a deft thread of somber melody through the sonic assault that lightens up what could very easily be a heavy and overpowering wall of noise.  It is actually really refreshing how much variety that Krieg throw in their sound, from the gothy excerpts from the bookends “Bulwark” and “The Lantern and the Key” to the d-beat hardcore of “Fragments of Nothing” to the gloomy art rock of “Red Rooms” and “No Gardens Grow Here,” both of which are surprisingly dancey numbers for the remorseless black metal that the quintet is known for.  In fact, a lot of Ruiner is downright catchy at times, playing back and forth with dynamics and melody, balancing cacophonous atmosphere and light touches of groove and sensible, if a little, pensive lead lines.  Of course, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t call this black metal.  There’s plenty of beefy riffs, ass-beating aggression and razor-sharp tones, especially in the mid-section of the album.  It’s just not boring like a lot of black metal albums that only do one thing are.  And, as icing on top of the cake, the production values gracefully walk the fine line between “it’s black metal, what do you want” and “I would really like to be able to hear this album.”  So that’s something too!

Ruiner is sure to please long-time fans of the band (what more could you ask of them other than to just keep doing their thing?) but for the uninitiated, it should also serve as quite an introduction to one of the USA’s finest black metal acts.  There really isn’t anything too groundbreaking going on, but it’s a really unique blend of a lot of different pieces that make for an interesting and varied listen.  Now, hopefully it won’t take another nine years for another release; or, better yet, make a new collab with The Body, eh?  Eh?

— Ian

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Ruiner will be available October 13 on Profound Lore Records.  For more information on Krieg, visit their Facebook page.