– Hi, thanks for your time. What are you currently up to? How is everything doing right now with RUINS?

We are pleased to have “Place Of No Pity” out for an international release now. We are already working on new songs and have a few shows in the coming months.

– We had the chance of interviewing in support of your previous album, «Front the Final Foes», a couple of years ago. How has the band evolved since then? As evolution seems to be a constant process for RUINS.

Well I personally consider this new album to be completing a circle back to our first release. I always wanted to rework a couple of our earliest songs and I felt it was a good time to do that because some of the new material was very thematically linked to some of the oldest stuff. So I guess you can look at the dates and see the four albums as linear progression; but I think really I see it more as our first cycle is completed. Where we head from here is certainly going to be huge evolution, or devolution, or revolution?haha!

 

– Now you have a new album coming out soon, «Place of no Pity». You have always got a good recognition and really positive reviews, does this fact make you have higher expectations on the album or it rather make you work under more pressure to top over (or at least maintain de same quality) yor previous releases?

To be honest I just make what I want to listen to really. Then I get really motivated when Dave likes some of that and same again if Joe is into it, it helps me get things done. Ideas kind of filter themselves, so I am just doing what I am into doing, making the music I want to hear.

 

– Getting a bit deeper into this opus; what’s the main concept and the main lyrical ideas behind it?

It is a very death themed album. It is about life and death I guess, consciousness. I like for others to find their own more direct meanings, as I have my meanings within my personal sphere, which I am unlikely to share, this is a reason for the art for me, cryptically discussing things in my personal life; but that is not really enough if it stops there, sort of self-indulgent… the lyrics can be taken less personally also, in a different context. I try to write multi-dimensionally, I know that many viewpoints will interpret this, as they will.

 

– I think with each album the level of complexity into the songs increases. Were do you draw inspiration from to create such well-cared soundscapes?

I guess like I mentioned, the music is just what I want to hear, and that is drawing from very diverse tastes and experiences. Lyrically also it is filtering important things for me, it is dealing with issues in my personal life but mostly in metaphors, which are just echoes of philosophy or poetry, and other things that I may read, or hear and that resonate with me; this can in turn make ideas slightly more tangible for others to comprehend, and at the same time actually make the structures that bit more surreal. I am always thinking about the lyrics being perceived from multiple viewpoints.

 

– This is by far your lengthiest record, I guess you weren’t necessarily looking for that but, as I said earlier, your atmospheres and compositions seem to be more thought-out each time so, do you think having lorger songs can help you explore and develop different elements on your music a bit further?

Yes I do, and this is the epic album; it just progressed that way as it figured itself out. However our next stuff which I have started to demo is much more stripped back and simple at the moment, much shorter, more minimalistic. This is probably a reaction to the last work, I like to try and do different things, so I am not surprised after the epic long structures and format of this album, then probably the next one will be contrary to this.

 

– Groovy is another adjective that seems to be each time more fitting to RUINS. Is this something you strive for? As you have always got an interesting contrast between brutality/dark atmospheres and this groove tha adds the necessary melody.

We are into heavy rhythm, solid and catchy or heavy and trance. I don’t know really? I guess good hooks are what make good songs to me. I really enjoy good hooks in riffs and also vocal phrasing. It can be hard to get the right tempo for each part, to really get the most out of each part.

 

– All this about «Place of no Pity» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?

Death. War. Sorcery.

 

– I have always thought you are a really underrated band, as you bring a fresh Black Metal, really dynamic (specially compared to the vast majority of the bands into the style). What do you think is what you need to get to the next level?

Well we don’t play live very much. I think we will reach more audience in Europe and U.S. in the coming years though.

 

– And could you say the fact of hailing from Australia can be a handicap if you are playing Metal? As you are geographicaly isolated and I guess it would be hard to get tour outisde of the Australian borders.

For sure being based in U.S. or Europe would make things easier for touring those territories of course. We will probably tour in the next year I think.

 

– Finally, what are your near-future plans?

Well I guess until we tour I am just here working on the next album haha! It will be sooner rather than later.

 

– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.

Thanks for the support.

 

Sergio Fernández

Sergio@queensofsteel.com

 

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