THE ORIGINS OF RUIN

I was very much looking forward to this one after the excellent "Fulness Of Time", but right from the first listen I knew something was missing. This record seems more polished and the individual play is held in check more, instead relying on a collective sound. Even the amazing drumming of Chris doesn't standout nearly as much as on "Fulness Of Time" or on his PRYMARY's recordings.

"The Suffocating Silence" starts off like a house on fire ! It seems to settle down a little, but then the riffs hit us hard. Vocals with background synths take over before we get a keyboard solo 3 1/2 minutes in. I like the guitar solo 5 minutes in. "Bleed Me Dry" has a tasteful intro for just over a minute when the heaviness arrives. Piano melodies 3 1/2 minutes in with a great guitar and drum melody to follow. Check out the guitar solo 6 1/2 minutes in. "The Death Of Faith And Reason" features heavy drums and guitar as well as a good tempo. A ripping guitar solo after 3 minutes. This is dark and complex. "Memory" is the longest track as well as my favourite. It seems like the instrumental work after 6 minutes is so intense yet Ray's vocals are so calm. Earlier, after 4 minutes the melody is catchy and the vocals are fantastic.

"The Origins Of Ruin" has fragile vocals and piano. Drums come in before it ends. "Men Of Glass" is ok and the vocal melody 3 minutes in is a nice touch. "Blind My Eyes" is better, as it has some good energy and some great guitar.The song seems to speed up later on. "Used To Be" is fast and heavy for over a minute before it calms down when Ray starts to sing with synths in tow. The heaviness comes back. "Fall On You" opens with some beautiful guitar and vocals. It's full speed ahead after that. Tempo changes continue and there is a great section 7 1/2 minutes in. The song ends as it began.

This is a good record, it just doesn't suit my tastes like the "Fulness Of Time" does. 3.5 stars.