Lie in Ruins – Toward Divine Death (Dark Descent)

Thursday, 13th February 2014
Rating: 8/10

Finnish from-the-depths death metal, meaning, sounds of the abyss are in play, as are songs long as they are involved. Lie in Ruins have been around for over 20 years, spending their first ten as Dissected, undergoing a name change in 2002, then getting into the swing of things with 2009’s Swallowed by the Void. Their sophomore Toward Divine Death encapsulates dense death metal to the nth degree, all without taking any unnecessary lunge at those forever en vogue early 90’s bands.  Translation: Into the chasm we go.

Since the band has the luxury of working without a Finnish death metal template (because really, there isn’t one), some of the cuts on Toward Divine Death are given some extra marinating time to let those smoldering riffs take form. Thus, the regular co-mingling of Incantation-inspired action and bouts of blast-happy DM make some of the album’s longer cuts (i.e. “Blood of the Dead,” “Jaws of the Wolf”) seem shorter than they really are. The near-11 minute rumble of “Of Darkness and Blackened Fire,” though, is where the band’s reach is most evident, where upon rollicking rhythms (think early Bolt Thrower) and unearthly death bellows reach the proverbial climax, and they better – it’s the album’s closing number.

Strictly on the surface, Lie in Ruins don’t have the instant flash or individuality of some of their equally-seasoned peers, yet the regular churn and burn of Toward Divine Death makes it an album restless in its pursuit to go deeper down. Wherever that is, let’s go.

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