Ground of Ruin – Cloaked in Doctrine

The instrumental song opening Ground of Ruin’s EP “Upon the 13th Hour”, with its gentle acoustic guitar playing and the sound of rain pouring down surely doesn’t hint at the musical blitzkrieg unfolded by the following and proper theme “Cloaked in Doctrine”. For the most part of its seven minutes duration, these Irishmen charge over at hyper fast pace, firing way Thrash-driven riffs with a Black-Metal tinge. A sound that is severe and intense, yet at the same time well-measured and disciplined, proving that Ground of Ruin can handle their instruments rather well and have developed a good sense of efficient and compact song-craft.
The way Ground of Ruin blends German-influenced Thrash-Metal riffs with a Death-Metal razor-sharp drive and infused it with a Black-Metal grim malevolence throughout the remaining two songs sets them close to those old Swedish bands like Sacramentum, Necrophobic and Sacrilege, though the somewhat sophisticated production values and playing skills prevents the Irishmen from being simply regarded as another retro-fixated group.
Perhaps the biggest downside to this EP is the lack of truly knockout moments capable of making Ground of Ruin stand out from such overcrowded metal scene, but nevertheless I believe they’re one a righteous path to ascension and a record deal is definitely on the horizon. (6.5/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/groundofruin