BRITOF are best recognised for being a Slovenian hard rock trio, who formed in early 2017. Not long after their formation, BRITOF released their debut self-titled studio album "Britof". After a hefty five-year long break, the trio got back into the studio to record their follow-up body of work "Ruins", featuring singles like "Scum of the Earth", "Pathetic Grin" and "Doomsayer". "Ruins" was officially released on May 6^th, 2022, via On Parole Productions. The first track on "Ruins" is "Buzz"'. The song starts off well with a strong heavy metal riff taking the lead. After a while, Jan Laznik's vocals kick in. Instantly, they remind me of BLACK SABBATH's OZZY OSBOURNE. As the song progresses, I realised that there is genuinely no progression whatsoever! The track sounds pretty much the same from start to finish, with nothing to make it stand out from the crowd. Not a good way to start the album, that's for sure!

"Scum of the Earth" is up next, which begins with a fast-paced guitar riff, seemingly setting the scene for what's to come. However, when Laznik starts singing, I quickly felt that this was going to be just like the first. "The Fiend" starts off slow with a fuzzy, distorted metal riff changing things up a notch. The riff eventually evolves into something more head bang worthy and memorable. The melodies nearer the end of the track sound very similar to ELECTRIC WIZARD at times. Saying this, I find this song to be quite hard to get through, just like the previous. "Sick (Sodoma and Gomorrah)" is slightly different to the last, as Jan Laznik's striking vocals immediately kick in on the record. "Pathetic Grin" is up next, which instantly grabs my attention with a groovy, heavy metal style riff, most certainly livening things up a bit. "Pilgrim Stomp" is yet another average track, with the constantly changing melodies being the only redeeming feature. "Ouroboros" alters things yet again with the gritty, fast riffs throughout helping to make this song a little different. The final track on this release is

"Doomsayer", which isn't that dissimilar to the rest of the songs on the album. I just feel like this track goes on for way too long and could have easily been shortened down to three minutes instead of six. There is honestly nothing to distinguish all of the tracks from each other, which is a real shame to be honest. BRITOF's "Ruins" is certainly not to everyone's taste - definitely not mine! The album is mediocre and boring, sounding just like a BLACK SABBATH tribute band from start to finish. They literally sound like they should belong in the 1970's, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is in this case. I can't think of anything new and exciting that this band brings to the table, it just seems like they are stuck living in the past. It is most certainly not an exaggeration when I say that I was glad when this album came to an end!