Necare

Ruin is the first official release from Necare, an American-based doom metal band on the Finnish label, Firebox. Despite what the album’s grandiose and Romantic sounds might lead you to believe, Necare is actually just a two-person act, with Ruin featuring only a little guest guitar and violin work beyond the members’ own multi-instrumental performances. My Dying Bride and early Anathema are easy comparisons to draw, for Ruin is well steeped in the doom-y death tradition. The results of Necare’s metal education make up a deeply moving passage through waves of thick, buzzy distortion and lulls of softer melodies and sadness. Unsurprisingly, the tracks tend to be long and slow, but they boast a strong forward momentum, especially songs like the comparatively upbeat "Canto XXXIV” and the more delicately beautiful "Celia.” My biggest complaint is the abundance of overused synth sounds — artificial choirs and the like; it would be nice to hear what Necare could do with a budget and a real orchestra. For now, Ruin will have to do, and as is, it more than suffices.