4.0 out of 5 stars
First class melodic death metal album - reissued, July 23, 2010
This review is from: Black Sands of the Hourglass (Audio CD)
Originally released in 2000, Black Sands of the Hourglass is the debut album from Age of Ruin. The Virginia-based band is one of the only American bands that can play melodic death metal about as good as their Swedish counterparts.
Age of Ruin plays the kind of melodic death metal At the Gates made famous. Their sound is very reminiscent of early works by In Flames and Dark Tranquillity in that it's absolutely heavy and undeniably death metal, but has a melodic aspect that keeps it from being just another exercise in brutality. Age of Ruin also has a technical flair, as evidenced by the mesmerizing instrumental "Angel Dusted Dreamlock." There's not much in the way of keys or clean vocals, just killer guitar melodies, punishing rhythms and perfectly growled vocals.
This really is the best American melodic death metal album I've ever heard. If you're a fan of the Swedish melodic death metal sound - At the Gates, early Dark Tranquillity and In Flames - you'll definitely want to hear Age of Ruin, and Black Sands of the Hourglass is the ideal place to start.
Edition Notes: Black Sands of the Hourglass was reissued by Tribunal Records in 2004. The reissue contains a pair of bonus tracks: "Icarus Syndrome" and a cover of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name." "Icarus Syndrome" is a very cool song, but the Bon Jovi cover is as horrible as you'd expect. Sorry, but I have to deduct a star just for that.
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