PALLASCHTOM

After "Tzomborgha" and "Hyderomastgroningem", I think I can safely say that Ruins is by no means a band that makes any easy-listening material. Although something about their music really tickles my brain in a way I can't describe. I thought the previous two albums had a few too many moments that were noise simply for the sake of noise. I was hoping that the bands had an album that contained more actual songwriting (or as close to songwriting as Ruins gets), and lo and behold, Pallaschtom definitely delivers on that account.

Thanks to the wonders of MIDI technology, Ruins can sound like a band that both plays more than bass and drums and sound like a band that is playing anything but bass and drums. For some this is a blessing and others a curse, but for me it is definitely the former. Unlike the first two Ruins albums I became familiar with, the amount of noise that is found in this album is not there just for the purpose of being "different" or more "avant-garde". It tends to serve some type of purpose, and one can easily tell that all the tracks are very well structured and thought-out. While much of the music still sounds a bit like jamming, albeit with some mind-boggling tempo and time changes, it is not meandering (an issue I have with some of the band's other work). All this being said though, this is still by no means for the average symphonic prog fan. Actually, this isn't for the average music fan. Most people will run away screaming and pulling their hair out the first time they sit through several Ruins songs. If they had used this album to torture people in Guantanamo, I would not be surprised (although the vocals might end up torturing some of the guards too). Although I think part of the reason this band appeals to me is because I tend to enjoy lots of heavy and/or challenging music.

This Ruins album feels much more complete compared to my previous two adventures with this duo's work. I think I can safely rank this one at 4 stars. I will say however that one must have an adventurous taste in music before checking out Pallaschtom. Either that or you enjoy the sound of crying chipmunks from time to time. I swear I heard that type of sound at some point on here...