The Brutal Language

Don't you just love the underdog? Well that's precisely what Los Angeles metallists, My Ruin, became in February of 2005, as their rhythm section abruptly up and left, just as sessions were going to begin for their next release. Instead of delaying the recording, remaining members Tairrie B. (vocals) and Mick Murphy (guitar, songwriter) entered the studio according to plan, with Murphy assuming both bass and drum duties. And if that didn't heighten all the uncertainty, My Ruin also severed ties with their record label, and decided to go at it alone by launching their own imprint, Rovena Recordings. Despite all the turmoil, the newly streamlined version of My Ruin returned only a few months later with another pummeling slice of metal, The Brutal Language. Once you get past the artsy fartsy spoken word bit, the screaming, and the Sabbath-worthy guitar riffs, Tairrie's vocals become a little more pronounced and can best be compared, at times, to Joan Jett's, if the former Runaway received a metal makeover (especially on "Silverlake 6571"). Angst runs high throughout "Language," which tends to get a bit same-y sounding after a while, although Murphy's ability to pen impressive riffs becomes quite apparent on such tracks as "The Devil Walks" and "Cold Hands, Warm Heart."