The Philadelphia crew take bold steps forward on album number three!
Ooh, rather excited for this one. Poison Ruïn exploded into our consciousness in mid-2024 with the release of their ‘Confrere’ EP and a superb gig at London’s New Cross Inn, and we’ve been keeping a close eye on them ever since. The Philadelphia quartet specialise in a highly compelling blend of punk and hardcore, steeped in medieval imagery and gloomy atmospherics, with echoes of the likes of The Damned and Killing Joke at every turn. ‘Atmospheric’ really is the word here; you can almost imagine them recording ‘Hymns From The Hills’ in a deserted church, in the middle of nowhere, in the depths of a snow-laden winter. Or maybe that’s just us.
The first salvo makes for an impressive start. A keyboard-led into track leads into the Misfits-esque ‘Lily Of The Valley’; arguably Poison Ruïn at their catchiest, but still done very much on their own terms. Then the title track sees them burst into a sprint, with some mournful harmonica over propulsive guitars and drums – we were surprised too, but trust us, it works. It’s swiftly followed by previous single ‘Eidolon’, which evokes another Poison (Poison Idea, since you ask, and thankfully not the godawful glam metal has-beens). It’s built around a beast of a riff and Mac Kennedy’s barked vocals, and is sure to be a future live favourite.
‘Guts (Lay Your Self Aside)’ emerges as another highlight, surfing on a dark street-punk vibe, before those brilliantly ominous-sounding synths bubble up towards the end. ‘Turn To Dust’ meanwhile, belts along like an out-of-countrol hardcore punk freight train, with a squalling solo towards the end. That Damned influence rears its head again on ‘Serpent’s Curse’; an epic, by the band’s standards, at nearly five minutes long, but mesmerising throughout.
There are even echoes of traditional NWOBHM sounds on the instrumental ‘Sleeping Giant’, and hey, if that’s what it takes to make this record as foreboding and downright dark as it could possibly be, then that’s just fine with us. It’s not a concept record, as such, but ‘Hymns From The Hills’ comes across as a journey for the ears – something to be listened to as a whole, rather than as individual tracks or (god forbid!) on shuffle.
It all benefits from a production job that’s a noticeable step up from that of previous album ‘Harvest’, but don’t worry – polished, this is absolutely not. Ultimately, it’s the songs that matter, and on that count, Poison Ruïn deliver like never before (and they weren’t exactly lacking on previous records). It’s about time more people started paying attention to them, and ‘Hymns From The Hills’ is definitely worthy of your time.
‘Hymns From The Hills’ is out now – order it HERE.
Main Photo Credit: KAT BEAN
- Intro
- Lily Of The Valley
- Hymn From The Hills
- Eidolon
- Howls From The Citadel
- Pilgrimage
- Guts (Lay Your Self Aside)
- Turn To Dust
- Puzzle Box
- Serpent’s Curse
- Sleeping Giant
- Crescent Sun
- The Standoff
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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