The Ruins Of Beverast - Rain Upon The Impure

"Apocalypse – A term not alien to the world of music considering the clear bandwidth of styles commiting themselves (partially at least) to the fascinating musical version of this phenomenon. Mr von Meilenwald isn’t new to this profession either: With “Unlock the shrine” he raised the bar for apocalyptic sound experiences to a pretty high level. But that it would be necessary to secure oneself a new measure together with your copy of “Rain Upon the Impure” – not many could have considered that.

I’m not on giving too much away right now, as the album has been properly praised already by numerous Webzines and such, but what this man has constructed with comparative simple elements is indeed more than just remarkable: eighty minutes in time the listener is welcomed by ecstatic flushes, enters even (funeal-)doomlike fields and will rub his eyes beholding the sometimes just fantastically composed melodies. Not to mention the bag full of surprises."- Metal Observer

Rain Upon The Impure 200 Tracklisting 1. 50 Forts Along The Rhine 13:38 2. Soliloquy Of The Stigmatised Shepherd 15:39 3. Rapture 1:16 4. Blood Vaults (I: Thy Virginal Malodour) 15:42 5. Soil Of The Incestuous 16:24 6. Balnaa-Kheil The Bleak 02:40 7. Rain Upon The Impure 14:33 Total playing time: 01:19:52

I should start with a warning: do not expect Rain Upon The Impure to be anything like Unlock The Shrine. While the strong feeling of apocalypse is still emanated, this album is stylistically different. Alexander von Meilenwald, the mastermind behind The Ruins Of Beverast, goes through large lengths to deliver us a very oppressive album. The feelings variate between stark bleakness and relentless devastation. The production on the album is clear and fuzzy (not being contradictory - it's clean and quiet when it needs to be, fuzzy in appropriate parts to add atmosphere). Alexander von Meilenwald went through great lengths to create such an album that really raises the bar for composers in the same genre. It is a true black/doom masterpiece.

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The Ruins Of Beverast - Unlock The Shrine

"The Ruins of Beverast, a German oppressive black metal project born and raised by the old Nagelfar drummer Alexander von Meilenwald.

With "Unlock the Shrine" the first full-lenght album was created in the year of 2004, constisting of several intro / outro pieces linking six adequate songs. December 24, 2006: "Rain Upon the Impure", like its predessecor released by Vàn, beheld the light of night. Now the focus is put on few extreme long tracks avoiding that sort of fragmentation to be experienced on album #1.

The musical aspect faces an unique approach of complex yet atmospheric black metal combining unorthodox with conventional elemnts. Lengthy, mostly hypnotic components are connected with heavy use of vast variations of extreme vocals and choral singing, creating an apocalyptic and oppressive feeling. "- Last.fm

Unlock The Shrine 2004 Tracklisting 1. Between Bronze Walls 08:40 2. Skeleton Coast 03:06 3. Euphoria When The Bombs Fell 05:43 4. God Sent No Sign 03:25 5. The Clockhand's Groaning Circles 10:44 6. Procession Of Pawns 04:00 7. Summer Decapitation Ritual 07:55 8. Cellartunes 02:05 9. Unlock The Shrine 09:05 10. Subterranean Homicide Lamentation 01:59 11. The Mine 12:01 12. White Abyss 01:38 Total playing time 01:10:21

The Ruins Of Beverast plays a very unique style of what I might consider black metal/dark ambient. This album is drastically different from their follow up, Rain Upon The Impure, which was more black/doom. This album variates between drudgingly slow, heavy, crushing walls of volume and nihilistic, ripping, fast paced sounds. There also exists another dichotomy between the said black metal passages and the Gregorian Chants (soft, choral-like music), which adds a very mystic and dark atmosphere to their music.

The atmosphere The Ruins Of Beverast seek to create is not that of cold, grim winters or of melancholic, solitary journeys through the forest. It is a very fiery, warlike, almost hot atmosphere. It is one of imminent death, destruction, and apocalypse. In effect there's a sense of strong hate and violence emanating from this album, though it's also contrasted by the entrancing choral music. It's almost as if there's a funeral - symbolizing utter destruction and death. This is a powerful album that I strongly recommend.

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