UMUR
"Unlock the Shrine" (subtitled "Reliquary of the White Abyss") is the debut full-length studio album by German atmospheric black/doom metal act The Ruins of Beverast. The album was released through Van records in August 2004. The Ruins of Beverast was formed in 2003 by Alexander von Meilenwald (who handles all instruments and vocals on the album) after the demise of his former band Nagelfar. "The Furious Waves of Damnation" demo was released in 2003.
If your introduction to The Ruins of Beverast was through the "The Furious Waves of Damnation" (2003) demo, the sound of "Unlock the Shrine" is probably a bit of a surprise. The demo occasionally hinted at the sound of this album, but is predominantly a fast-paced raw and atmospheric black metal release.
The music style of "Unlock the Shrine" is a bit hard to describe as it takes equal influences from black and doom metal, but aren´t really neither. The tracks are generally long, featuring only a few main riffs and beats, but they build slowly towards climaxes and layers upon layers of atmospheric guitar riffs, keyboards, samples which are added along the way. The vocals are predominantly black metal type screams, and the album does feature sections which are close to regular mid-paced black metal (and some parts which are fast-paced blasting black metal). The greatest asset of the music is the gloomy and depressive atmosphere, which is further enhanced by the repetitive nature of the tracks. Heavy and oppressive music best listened to in the dark...
"Unlock the Shrine" features a very well sounding production job. It´s harsh, raw, and organic, but also detailed and every instrument and vocal part is audible in the mix. It´s the kind of production which is purposedly rough around the edges, and kudos must be given to Meilenwald for creating such a masterful sound for his material. I´m intrigued by Meilenwald´s vision and by his skills, which means he is able to deliver that vision to the world. I hear moments of a genius at play in the way the songs are composed. When that is said, some tracks are maybe a bit too repetitive and drag on for a little too long, but those are minor issues on an otherwise high quality release and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
