Review: Poison Ruïn – Hymns from the Hills
Punk that will chain you
I can’t really remember when I encountered punk for the first time, but even when getting way too into metal music, punk was always there in some way, shape or form. Now in my 30s I do enjoy a lot of punk and punk-adjacent bands, and one band I discovered whilst browsing through Bandcamp and streaming sites is the Philly ensemble known as Poison Ruïn.
Poison Ruïn is a very interesting band; from what I’ve seen they get labeled as “chain punk.” An often mocked aspect of punk is how there’s just as many subgenres and styles as metal—cow punk, folk punk, egg punk? Etc.—but the general vibe of these so-called “chain punk” bands seems to be raw and traditional punk with elements of post-punk, oi! or hardcore, and an aesthetic that ranges from traditional East Coast punk and hardcore to being weirdly similar to black metal. In Poison Ruïn’s case, their aesthetic has a dark and dirty medieval vibe, and their overall sound does share some similarities with the rawer end of black metal, but make no mistake this is very much punk. Their most recent album, Hymns from the Hills (released under Relapse Records) is both their most definitively punk album and their most eclectic and unique.
As stated above, Poison Ruïn is a punk band, and their specific chosen style is very much in line with old school US aggro-punk: fast, stripped down and aggressive, but with a melodic edge. The production quality on this record is still raw and dirty, but is much more audible than their murkier previous LPs. This is the essential core of their sound and the less muffled production really makes those melodies shine bright, while the aggression offers a good counterbalance.
Furthermore, while the band’s punk core (stripped down, riff-heavy rock and combination of raw aggression with medieval sounding melodies and a dark atmosphere) is very much intact, they have expanded their sound. This record brings in a lot of post-punk influences that are reminiscent of Killing Joke: maintaining a harsh and cold base, but expanding it with the use of samples, layered guitar work (including the use of solos and a more rhythmic approach), and bass and percussion taking the lead in songs or driving them entirely. In this regard the band fully escaped the trap of monotony that often plagues punk, and the band does it with such expertise that, despite being a beefy 13-song and over 40-minute record, it never feels boring or monotonous.
The variety in songwriting is the biggest strength; even when the overall beat is consistent, the music takes wild swerves into weird territories while still feeling cohesive. The song “Serpent’s Curse” is the best showcase of this; at nearly 5 minutes, the band make this song sound like a prog-punk epic, keeping a steady motorik beat and driving bassline while guitars range from melodic riffing to noisy and even folky styles. The vocals also vary from shouts, singing and even crooning.
The band also uses synths and samples very effectively to further vary their sound and enhance the atmosphere. They’ve always used them well, but much like the rest of the album, it’s refined here, and in the same way parts of the music feel reminiscent of black metal while still being deeply rooted in punk. The synths, combined with the band’s aesthetic make the music feel pleasantly reminiscent of dungeon synth.
I’ve no idea how and when “chain punk” started, or exactly how a band like Poison Ruïn fits into that label, but for my money the band is one of the most unique and interesting punk acts I’ve come across, and I seriously can’t recommend this record enough; it’s easily one of the best records of the year so far.
4/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Hymns from the Hills is out now through Relapse Records.
