THE RUINS OF BEVERAST is a German Black Metal Band leaded by long time Extreme Metal musician Alexander von Meilenwald, who in addition to being mentioned as the band's factotum, has managed to release this fifth full length album in its career after being one of the main elements in NAGELFAR, one of the most impressive Folk/Black Metal acct of the nineties. The opening track alone is better than most of the records I've listened to lately. The way the chanting, the operatic voice and the progressive in crescendo at the next to last part of "Exuvia" which is also the name of this fifth full length album, is an ethereal experience all within itself worthy of the time and specially a privilege to be able to fulfill this search of how Metal can blend and function with all sorts of music as long as it has no artificiality in its true core.

After the first track, the journey really began for me, since for some reason the opening track is a world of its own and somehow the vibrations and sonic intonations conceived and arranged in such order, transported my listening persona over to another dimension, after only six tracks that truly went like sand between the hands, I have to say that just for the boldness of it this records deserves a perfect ten for its originality and the way the sounds are put together without ever falling into that certain feeling of becoming uncomfortable after listening to failed attempts of blending two completely different genres into one song, but believe me, this is not the case with "Exuvia." The concept of the album to me is but mind blowing and overwhelming at the very least, if my ever so numbed down brain wasn't so limited by all the indoctrination and consumerism, maybe I could find better ways to describe such a priceless work of art by this over the top band from Germany.
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Adding elements of tribal or "World" Music seemed a bit odd at the beginning, but by just letting myself go into the undeniable power of music, I found myself within a musical experience like no other when first acknowledging I was writing a review for a Black Metal Band; Even the phaser-like effect on the voice shrieking Hubris! Hubris! All over again, that as most of you, our well-read Metal Temple concomitants must know, is the Greek chant that denotes the feeling of overconfidence that can take one as a mere mortal to defy or disobey the commands of the gods. Damn, I just love how full of culture Metal can be, ever since I started reading Dune thanks to the reference in "To Tame a Land" in the album Piece of Mind by IRON MAIDEN, try picturing that in the proper shallowness of what some call "popular" music. This record is Metal embodied in a war cart slashing through its detractors to land through the ages to land into contemporary times, a priceless example of tenacity and commitment to keeping the flame of Metal burning brighter than ever.