The Bristolian trios 2022 album Bleaching Heat was a stellar piece of unbridled rage with its bludgeoning riffs and all the hallmarks of great sludge with post-hardcore and noise rock playing poignant supporting roles. On Tide Into Ruin you see a shift in the supporting casts influence into something which harbours greater desperation and all together a greater emotional formula while still keeping its devastating impact.
Sludge metal can be an overwhelming assault on the senses which leaves very little room for anything else to be felt and 2022’s Bleaching Heat demonstrated the trademark tenacity but with Tide Into Ruin this feral animal is growing capability of showing heart and emotion as you can hear the fracture of every human syllable from vocalist/bassist Chris Wilson as his vocal inflection turns into a Greg Puciato style shriek. All this new development is encapsulated on opener ‘Leveller’ which is an apt name as it boulders through with a riff fit for late 90’s Unsane tearing up old road showing you the new fresh ground beneath.
Row of Ashes are teeming with confidence in their brand of ominous atmosphere from the mazy unsettling riffs of ‘Imber’ with an introduction akin to being haunted by a sinister circus act or sparse hallways of ‘Tide’ with an ending of calming snare rolls from Dan Arrowsmith which canters to a calming stop. The dust is settled and the ghostly introduction of ‘Lille’ comes forth with a french monologue which creeps into the albums entirely instrumental ‘Wake’, a charming movement of post-metal with continued French narration is the albums pocket of reflection, stare out a window let the track gallop round the mind.
“capable of creating cataclysmic earthquakes and show exciting progression in equal measure.”
Post-Wake you get the energetic combo of ‘Immoralist’ and ‘Wretch’ where mazy magician Will Turner Duffin treats us to more unsettling riffs to dance around the tribal work of Arrowsmith and its great noisy post-hardcore in front of a backdrop of sludge to pummel and pulverise for just under 3 minutes a piece to remind you they are capable of sinking into new and furious depths with a bass line which sounds like it hangs on the floor like a tripwire all while splicing it with new and exciting influences. Speaking of the new and exciting, the integration of Simon Mason of Torpor into the closer ‘Coda’ is a collaboration of existential dread. It begins at a glacial pace like a Cult of Luna track into an eruption driven by Wilsons bass to expand and gather steam into the static of nightmarish howls from Mason and peter out into a withering morsel of life to bring to an end a hellish encounter.
Label Road to Masochist who also house Ba’al and Shrykull are justified is being excited about releasing Tide Into Ruin as Row Of Ashes are emerging as a face worthy of serious recognition. They are ready to crawl from the underground of sludge and noise and form a unique entity capable of creating cataclysmic earthquakes and show exciting progression in equal measure.