Band:	Menace Ruine
Album:	Union Of Irreconcilables
Style:	Neofolk, Noise, Drone doom metal
Release date:	April 2010

01. ...Collapse
02. The Upper Hand
03. Not Only A Break In The Clouds But A Permanent Clearing Of The Sky
04. Corridor de Perdition
05. There Will Be Blood
06. Nothing Above Or Below
07. Primal Waters Bed

I'm tempted to write on these here pages a recipe for pineapple surprise as I doubt anyone will venture to this space but in the spirit of promoting the underground I shall endeavor to extol the virtues of this fascinating little Canadian gem in the hope it reaches the eyes of a few souls who appreciate experimental music. To ground Menace Ruine the descriptors of drone and neofolk would seem to serve them best; albeit a highly divergent form typically melded with a melange of female vocals and noise. Only on Union Of Irreconcilables will the tide change so drastically from blackened soundscapes akin to Emit or Abruptum to contemplative, comforting drones, martial drumming and confectionery female vocals through to Merzbow-ian noise... And then onto more noise with the female vocals on top. Consistency was clearly never on the agenda when they had this project in mind and while it marks the primary point of weakness it should, if possible, be largely ignored given the band's intentions: contrast and texture.

Saying that, it's hard to envision what kind of mind this is aimed at specifically; it's too conventional and easy going for any noise connoisseur but too unpredictable and strange for any metaller. In all probability this is made purely for the band, perhaps with small hopes of finding a handful of like-minders to share in their delight of a world the likes not seen since the last David Firth animation. Though this isn't quite as compelling as their previous effort, The Die Is Cast, which stands as a much more focused affair, mostly eschewing the noise and distortion on show here, this is still worth giving a listen to for the spectacular and haunting singing, sickly sweet dirges and a generally melancholic, otherworldly aesthetic, not to mention the sheer, unique display of stylistic anarchism.

Oh, the recipe for pineapple surprise: one pineapple, finely cut; a pinch of Salvia divinorum; a sprinkle of Nitroglycerin; a dollop of dog innards, and cook at gas mark 6 for 20 minutes. I'd say that'd be pretty surprising.