Hello, friends! It’s Monday and I want to begin this musical week from something dark, powerful, and deep. Here is the song “Ruins”, from the album “pale eternal fog”, by the Canadian metal band Hardened. Let’s dive into it together!
The very first thing that I noticed, is that the stylistically, it’s incredibly wide. I mean, I hear in this music everything from post-metal / sludge, all the way to death and black metal in their best. I really like this dark and kinda doomed atmosphere of the song. Also, I like that the melodic elements are not “sweet”. All melodies and harmonies sounds more like funeral march, which hitting into my brain with a huge metal hammer. Solid work. You can also read the lyrics below the post for a fuller immersion.
This song showcases the band’s ability to weave contrasting elements into a cohesive and powerful composition. From the slow, brooding post-metal segments to the blistering, aggressive bursts of death and black metal, “Ruins” captivates listeners with its dynamic shifts. The relentless instrumentation and screaming vocals create a dark and immersive atmosphere, making it a standout piece in the extreme metal music.
The lyrics of “Ruins” delve into themes of existential despair and primal suffering, adding an additional layer of intensity to the track. With vivid imagery and a poetic approach, the song explores the weight of existence and the consuming void, conveying a profound sense of melancholy and struggle. Hardened’s ability to marry these profound lyrics with their complex musical arrangements results in a track that is both emotionally and sonically compelling.
A bit more info about the song:
Ruins is the last song of our first album “pale eternal fog”.
It’s a long one, with a catchy heavy down beat opening after the long atmospheric intro. Then we get into a very deep and dark atmospheric break before everything goes black. Thats where our roots in black metal really shines, with some genius work on the guitars and fast and heavy blastbeats. The song ends with a very dark and sludgy riff repeated over 3minutes with a very distinct yet respectful progression on drums. (We spent 1month writing the drum parts for the ending). It’s a good song to change the mind of those who says that black metal is lame and repetitive. The blend between the tonak scream in the first phase and the high screamed vocals in the second phase makes the song shine in a lot of good ways.
As usual, thank you very much for listening to the good music with me 🙂 Enjoy your day and stand with Ukraine! Peace <3
Lyrics:
A primal stone meant to feed the core Dragged from this empty ocean The droning sound now grinding on The surface thy flesh of giants Awaken Suffering Dragging me down bones shattered These Ruins devoured I feel the pressure as deep within And the pressure so deafening All Those frigid forces throbs of pain Altered visions that pulse the way Down a constant taste of fear. Seul là Errant Noyer la mort Une vision qui s'éteint Mon être aspiré là où aucune lumière ne réside Loin du monde Je reposerai ici mon âme Seul un règne éternel m'enlace L'âme au néant Tombe Sévir Tords le temps L'ombre Errant mon être froid L'ombre Errant l'être froid Pale arising eternal fog I'm feeding on the end Void consuming all All the weight of existence crushing my spirit drowning in despair The void consuming all every once of my soul insignificant and fleeting Now the primal stone calls out to me beckoning demanding setting me free I succomb to its power through suffering a glimmer of strenght I gain Harnessing the darkness Pale eternal fog