TZOMBORGHA

The least we can say is that this group is not giving much in terms of hints to listener to grab on to the music on this album! I have no idea if the other albums they made are similar to this one, but the least we can say is that outside excellent musicianship (are there any RIO groups who are not excellent in that department), but this kind of musical niche is getting quite crowded, and the sad fact is that most of these bands are starting to sound alike. In the case of Ruins, we can talk of a harder Mr Bungle or a softer Guapo (the first version of the group where they were almost hardcore RIO). They do not have that round edge (almost danceable) of Miriodor or X-legged Sally, but they are in their slower and quieter moments quite nice to listen to and their vocals are very correct. One of the highlights is Wanzhemvergg, where they pay a small tribute to Wyatt's typical scatting. What will intrigue the proghead, though is the last tracks being a tribute to Mahavishnu Orchestra or the medley of Black Sabbath's early stuff. While the latter (BS) brings a smile (especially on Iron Man) but the former (MO) is rather bothersome since they bring out MO's virtuosity even more than originally, but they fail to let us know which track they attempted.

This is the kind of album whose music is probably meant to be interpreted with the artwork (depicting Far East Asian ruins and the "five" elements), but personally this reviewer failed to understand the link between the two. But I must admit that their almost hardcore sound (imagine a RIO version of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers) does not allow much space for reverie or even imagination. For devoted RIO fans, who appreciate a slightly funky sound and a group who meanders a lot, but is not sure it has that much of a musical propos. On this album, anyway!

I have to mention this at the very beginning of my review: this is probably for prog fans who suffer from insanity, delusions, or some other type of mental disorder.

That being said this is actually quite a good album if you like mind-blowing rhythm sections and experimental music on the more aggressive and high-energy side. Although considering this is a Yoshida band, one should expect this type of album. I have two other Ruins albums from the Sasaki period, and out of those, this is probably the weakest in my opinion. However, that isn't to say that it isn't good. The album opens the first song with some rather simplistic drumming and bass lines, but within the first 30 seconds pushes us towards insanity. However, unlike other Ruins albums, the insanity factor seems to not be as intense or brutal. However, do NOT take that as me saying that this isn't a weird album. Chittamirangaayo is probably my favorite track on the album, with somewhat catchy vocals as well as drums and very distorted bass. The Black Sabbath and Mahavishnu Orchestra medleys are quite entertaining as well, but I wish that the band had told us what songs they were covering in each of them. If you like your Zeuhl a little more intense than Magma and with a touch of craziness with technical complexity, this is a good place to start with Ruins as it's probably their most accessible album. 4/5 stars.

Ruins are one of cornerstone of Japanese avant prog, founded by legendary drummer Tatsuya Yoshida and usually released in a form of drummer and bassist duo (with vocals). Bassists beside of Tatsuya Yoshida are changed often, this album is released in duet with bassist Hisashi Sasaki.

Music on this album is generally what you could expect from Japanese avant prog drummer and bassist duo - extremely fast and technical instrumental hardcore with Japanese vocals and some doze of psychedelia. This album is not very heavy or extreme, and even contains two interesting tributes - to Black Sabbath and Mahavishnu Orchestra!

Songs are very sharp, with broken complex rhythms, but you can hear some Japanese folklore elements included on sound mix as well. In a moments listener can even catch some funky moments. Even if this music is played by rhythm duo, for me it sounds more like classic Japanese avant, not (Japanese) zeuhl (ok, zeuhl elements are presented there as well). In all cases, this release is really interesting one for Japanese avant prog lovers, and possibly could be not a bad entrance point for newcomers to dark rhythmic world of Tatsuya Yoshida.

My vote is 3+