When a metal fan thinks of the Ruhr region, Kreator and Sodom immediately spring to mind. Fortunately, in addition to these old flagships, there are also numerous young bands today that show that heavy electric guitar music continues to play an important role in this region.

One of these newer acts is Old Ruins from Gelsenkirchen (okay, that’s the only minus point from a Dortmunder’s point of view…), founded in 2019. With Always Heading East, the Germans have now released their full-length debut. Stylistically, we are dealing with a mixture of black and death metal that is strongly reminiscent of the 90s and bands like Necrophobic, Gates of Ishtar and Children of Bodom.

The tracks are characterised by their huge variety. Numerous sublime, majestic moments create a goosebump-inducing atmosphere that occasionally even reaches Dissection levels. Fantastic riffs and rousing lead guitars meet excellent drumming – you should concentrate on the latter in particular, it’s top class! This playful mastery is emphasised especially well thanks to the superb sound. The gorgeous cover artwork by Timon Kokott provides the icing on the cake.

In short: you can’t play this style any better. There are many passages that make you want to kneel down. Or to put it another way: Old Ruins give us one of the best metal albums of the year, across all genres.

Old Ruins on Bandcamp: Click here.