EP Review: Ruetz – Melanoma (Holy Roar Records)

Ruetz are a two piece post-black metal outfit, one part drummer (Kieran Brindley) ex: Bastions and one part guitarist (Matthew Watts) ex: Give Up, formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2016 but are originally from the UK and New Zealand respectively.

Melanoma was released on December 16th 2016 & can be picked up here.

From the opening shockwave of Operation in Famine it’s instantly clear that Ruetz aren’t messing around. A 3-minute blast to the head that is very aggressive but has a semblance of order, style & melody that makes it a fantastic listen.

The EP mixes up these longer, more varied songs with shorter hyper-fury slabs of metal. It’s got a downright dirty & disgusting sound but one that you just can’t get enough of. The slamming end to Liberator Denial is so heavy & so furious that it makes you walk that little bit taller as it plays.

Low Liars is a particular highlight as well as being the longest track on the album (3:41). A song that shows off all the best elements that Ruetz has to offer. Impossibly heavy with a pace that’s akin to a runaway train that then drops off a cliff into an even heavier beat & slower style. The guitar work absolutely shines here.

The intensity never drops for a second & at 6 songs, 16 minutes long you really want more by time the final notes are played out.

Two of the highlights of this intense piece of work are the pissed off sounding, hardcore style vocals & the blunt force trauma of the drumming. That combination alongside the blasting beats of the guitar creates an EP that will resonate strongly with fans of the more extreme side of metal.

Overall Track-Listing:

1. Operation in Famine
2. Liberator Denial
3. Waste
4. Low Liars
5. Engine
6. Joy

We’d like to thank Ruetz for providing us with a copy of the EP for this review. Make sure you pick it up over on their Bandcamp page here & check out Holy Roar Records here. You can also like & follow the band on Facebook & on Instagram.