RUINS OF BEVERAST, THE - Exuvia (Sealed) (2LP)

For those in the know, The Ruins Of Beverast has been one of the worlds premier black metal bands for a while now. There unique brnad of hyper oppressive and relentlessy destructive black metal has been tempered with a certain intelligence, a modern day nihilism if you will. They fall very much into the same category as bands like Bastard Sapling and Dragged Into Sunlight, and yet their demonic psychedelic ramblings and intermittent monk chants are utterly mesmerizing, tearing faces apart from start to finish. The thing is - The Ruins Of Beverast are extremely willing to bring in a broad variety of sounds and unholy conjurations. The compositions here are truly next level, the band brings in touches of Indian music as well as booming black metal. They are unafraid to bring in just about everything and it leads to a record that has a strangely consolidated sound. It's an album that you get lost in becase The Ruins Of Beverast are constantly opening up new soundscapes and sonic vistas in a way that few bands of their ilk could ever dare. The production on Exuvia is utterly massive and it reflects the devastating concepts at hand. This is a band that invokes foreign powers and strange demons. They are tapped into a reality that many of us only dream of, something that is firmly established not just by the first song but even the potent cover art itself. Exuvia is a record that demands time, you can't just digest in one listen but rather you need to sit down and think about it. Pick apart its layers and try to find the kernels of truth that have come to define what it means. The Ruins Of Beverast have gone above and beyond here and we need to embrace that