Not to be confused with VOICE OF RUIN, the Groove Metal band from Switzerland, the American Death Metal band is back with a vengeance with their second full length album and first since 2010. They say innovation is the key to progression in any genre of music. Well, it really depends on what you listen, if a band does great music (even though it's something you heard 1000 times before), it's still good music.

Look, VOICES OF RUIN are not reinventing the wheel at all with their music but it's pretty enjoyable. They remind me of that Gothenburg sound with their Melodic Death Metal. It's nothing fancy; you have your breakdowns and the harsh vocals. They do give a lot of space to the instruments though, you have a bunch of solos and that's one hell of a good thing to be perfectly honest.

They really reminded me of those bands in Sweden that crafted the whole Gothenburg sound, bands like AT THE GATES, IN FLAMES, DARK TRANQUILLITY and CARCASS before them. I like the influences they had on this independent band and they take bits and pieces of these bands and have honed their skills. For a young band, they really have impressed me. No song really stands out but you have the presence of the fast riffs and the harmonic guitar sound taken from good old New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

The production is pretty awesome for an independent band and the lyrical themes do revolve around the suffering of one self against the harshness of life. There seems to be a progression on this album nonetheless. It does start with the song ''The Awakening'' and finishes with ''Blacked Out''. It's the self discovery of one person and the trials of tribulations of personal problems throughout one lifetime. A person that has to fight demons throughout and learning from these personal problems but in the end, sometimes it's too much to bare.

I really enjoyed the lyrics and that progression. It's not the most innovative band but it's something I really enjoy listening to no matter what. This is a serious approach for such a young band.