Juliet Ruin – Dark Water

By RingMaster Review on March 26, 2021 • ( 0 )

From the original idea of recording just one single in 2021 Canadian outfit Juliet Ruin has brought forth a new EP such the ideas which flowed. It is a release uncaging four tracks which, as they revel in the new evolution in the band’s sound, hungrily demand attention, something eagerly given here such their ferocious pull.

Hailing from Edmonton, Juliet Ruin reaped eager acclaim with the release of their 2019 album, Old Stardust, Love, and Chaos. It was a release which revealed their metalcore sound a fertile fusion of melodic metal and predacious enterprise which was easy to nurture a keen appetite for. Dark Water sees the quintet push every aspect of that release further, the EP the band’s heaviest, most voracious protagonist yet from vocals to sound but without losing that melodic and harmonic prowess which marked its predecessors.

Dark Water opens with its title track, looming in from the distance with sonic urgency and rhythmic trespass. Soon though, it is a wall of enticement, riffs a nagging incitement and grooves a rapacious temptation. As the calm vocals of Jess Ruin step forward, the pressure relaxes a touch though rhythms continue to bite as riffs grind against the senses. Once her clean tones reveal their raw alter-ego the tempest erupts again but just another twist in the song’s growing and evolving landscape. It is a compelling confrontation which tells you all you need to know about the captivating imagination and potent creativity of the band in songwriting and sound with the tracks body an ever shifting protagonist.

The outstanding start is more than backed up by Cosmic Vertigo where straight away the guitars of Kent Geislinger and Wesley Rands weave an infernal yet inviting web. Within the trap the ravenous beats of drummer Jesse Bauman resonate through bone with the basslines of Cody Reid preying on any weakness found. It all makes for another compelling alignment escalated by Ruin’s dexterous mix of clean and throat scarring vocals, swiftly stealing favourite track honours.

Fake Stigmata is next to challenge and conquer, the song bearing a classic metal hue to its initial enticement against which the bass shows itself a snarling carnal beast which soon welcomes similarly dark shadows in the song’s lyrics, heart and breath. With djent inspired grooving, melodic fire, and a full fertility in Ruin’s vocal display, the track continued to blossom, evolve and impress if still just shaded by its predecessor.

EP closer, Might, is similarly flush with melodic heat and emotion yet soaked in corrosive tempestuousness, extremes united and aligned with craft and imagination. As throughout the four songs, drama also fuels every aspect of the creativity and tension it spawns to escalate the lure and intensity.

As mentioned, Juliet Ruin is not a stranger to attention and praise and can expect a lot more with Dark Water. It is their most striking offering yet and with the new evolution in the band’s already potent sound, surely the first step to greater things.

The Dark Water EP is out March 26^th; available @ https://julietruin.bandcamp.com/album/dark-water-ep