TRACK LISTING :
1. The King Is Dead
2. Killing It
3. The Pool
4. The Soft Sell
5. God Loves A Liar
6. In Vino Veritas II
7. Me Vs. Morrissey In The Pretentiousness Contest (The Ladder Match)
8. Congratulations
9. The Kids Can Eat A Bag Of Dicks
10. When I Was Alive: Walden III
11. Mercy Day For Mr. Vengeance
12. Less Bright Eyes, More Deicide
13. Speed Of Dark
14. Cancer Dream
The second A Wilhelm Scream's release, Ruiner, needs to be a statement. They are the future of PunkRock, as Belvedere died lately. Amongst the wreckage of the scene that actual bands have settled by selling out or by disappearing survives A Wilhelm Scream, all alone in their little world. From the old days when they were called Smackin' Isaiah, to now, they still rock .. differently .. but they still. I was really nervous when Belvedere died to see what AWS were going to put out, cause actually they're the only two "new" bands I can see as future punk ambassadors.
The King Is Dead
Okay. First important point: The opener. This one is great, but not as much as Mute Print used to be on the last album. For some reason, The King Is Dead sounds more like noise to me .. The intro is a bit too long and repetitive, and then .. The songs kicks in but even after lots of listenings it's still not growing on me.
Killing It
Apparently the first single, this is an awesome song. The guitar work is simply magic. The chorus, with the "KILLING IT ! KILLING IT!" part is gorgeous. This song is better than a lot of their older stuff I used to cherish over the years, thumbs up.
The Pool
D'uh. This is what sometimes makes me uncertain about my feelings for this band. Sometimes the guitar parts mixed with the Nuno's vocals are sounding so lame and lacks of power it's terrible. For some reason, even if it's fast, technical and melodic, this song isn't doing it for me at all.
The Soft Sell
A punch right in your face, it starts pretty heavy, but then it goes slower and the song kinda loses his charms. You don't expect a song that starts that hard to become soooo mellow and quiet .. Anyway. This is an excellent slow song, but you all know I don't really like slow songs.
God Loves A Liar
Not much to say here. An average song. Maybe for a B-Side, but actually they can do a lot better.
In Vino Veritas II
Probably the worst song they will ever do in their career. Sounds like a crappy Emo band trying too hard to be cute .. Sometimes I wonder if this song's not just a joke or something, cause it's too awful to be A Wilhelm Scream.
Me Vs. Morrissey In The Pretentiousness Contest (The Ladder Match)
What a pleasure to get back into AWS's world, filled with speed and rock n' roll. This song is pretty good, but once again, I'm feeling like I'm listening to Mute Print at some times in the song ..
Congratulations
Another average song. There's really something missing throughout this CD. All along you feel like "It's great" but the more you listen, the more you're like "It's great, but not that much".
The Kids Can Eat A Bag Of Dick
Fuck yeah. That's the kind of songs I like. This one is pretty great. The vocals in the verses are awesome, and the sort of chorus is nice too. Too much back vocals ..
When I Was Alive: Walden III
Averageness is the limit on this CD, the peak to reach; the half of their greatness. This song is another sample of that. Half-Power, Half-Aggressivity, Half-Anger, Half-Fulfilled reviewer and die-hard fan.
Mercy Day For Mr. Vengeance
The In Vino Veritas II's twin. Slow and lame.
Less Bright Eyes, More Deicide
Ah, this one's better, at least !! I pretty much enjoy the intro riff, and the continuity of it into the verse, and the way it flows through the chorus with the "I'm losing it .. I'm losing it" parts. I'd give a 7 out of 10 to this one.
Speed of Dark
That's another pretty rad song, but what's the point of having two guitarists and make them play the same thing at same time all along the CD ? I mean, they play like an octave lower and higher, but it's still the same riff through all the album, it's becoming annoying I have to say.
Cancer Dream
Hmmmmm ... Another guitar riff as an intro, another song sounding the same as the other ones, another deception.
Dammit. I'm so sad about what I said. I wish I could have said that this record is the best 2005 release and that the band made it better than Mute Print and stuff .. But I can't say it's worst or better, cause it's simply the same thing. I explain. First; let's talk about guitars. Okay, two excellent guitarists, playing pretty cool riffs, but sometimes it's just too much it's getting lame. Plus they always play the same riff, it's just like too much peanut butter on your toasts, it sticks in the throat. Second; it looks like they have already exploited all their ressources as a band. Their melodies and harmonies are all having something related to other ones, just like there's only one track on the CD. So, uh, for the fans, this is not a bad CD, I actually love to listen to it while I'm doing something else or just driving, but if you want to really get into their music, try Mute Print it's a lot better. It's just too bad cause the CD starts so great with Killing It that rocks my whole world everyday, but as the CD plays, I always lose interest and finally put back something else. But don't get me wrong, this is not a "bad" record. I actually thought they were going to release something "better" than Mute Print, but actually every fan I spoke with were amazed by the CD, so I guess maybe I have too much expectations .. But anyway, listen to the CD and see !!