Review: The Ruins Of Beverast – Tempelschlaf
Ruins Of Beverast blur he the boundaries between black metal’s ferocity, doom’s crushing weight, and psychedelia’s hypnotic sprawl on “Tempelschlaf” and don’t play it safe. That’s clear from the the opening notes of the title track and keeps getting clearer with each song. This is an album that thrives on contrast, shifting seamlessly from furious blasting to simmering menace.
The production, as always, is a masterclass in balance: raw enough to feel dangerous, but polished enough to let every element cut through with devastating clarity. “Cathedral of Bleeding Statues” and “Alpha Fluids” are immediate standouts, their blend of monolithic riffs, eerie atmopshere, and venomous vocals creating a sense of dread that’s as immersive as it is inescapable. The album’s pacing is deliberate, with each of its seven songs unfolding like a ritual, drawing you deeper into its world with every passing minute.
This spiritual undercurrent of the lyrics is woven into the music itself, with the album’s structure mirroring the ebb and flow of a ritualistic journey. The synths and samples, more prominent than ever, add a layer of psychedelic insanity that elevates the record beyond mere genre exercise. The drums are hypnotic and varied, driving the album forward with a relentless, almost trance-like pulse.
The album’s looser, more freeform approach, while refreshing in places, can sometimes feel disjointed, with transitions between styles and moods that don’t always land as gracefully as they should. The first half of the record, in particular, can feel a touch scattered, as if von Meilenwald is still finding his footing in this new, more open-ended songwriting style.
That said, when “Tempelschlaf” hits its stride, as it does in the sprawling, 13-minute closer “The Carrion Cocoon,” it’s a reminder of why The Ruins Of Beverast stand apart in the crowded world of black metal. The closing moments of the album, with their blend of crushing doom and psychedelic grandeur, leave you with the sense that von Meilenwald has once again crafted something that’s as much a journey as it is a record.
