I think most people who know me, whether online or in meatspace, wouldn’t imagine that I enjoy a genre like funeral doom. However, it’s one of my favorites. Bands like Eye of Solitude, Convocation, Slow, Un and Ahab rank among my top picks for the space, and In Ruins from Romania caught my attention walking a similar path.
A duo founded in 2021, with mastermind Urmuz having previously been involved with a range of black metal, grindcore and death/doom bands, In Ruins prepared a tight 42-minute work as an opening salvo in the field of fundoom. We Are All to Perish, but will we remember the journey that led In Ruins to that final destination?
With some funeral doom albums, you feel catharsis in the form of a few well-placed bursts of violence interspersed among long layers of misery. That’s the philosophy Eye of Solitude and Convocation often adopt. Other applications of the style prioritize moods and overwhelming sorrow delivered with a dirge, a uniformly mournful rhythm that hypnotizes as much as it depresses. Enter the funeral hymns of Slow and Un. In Ruins embrace the latter methodology, heavy as a shell emptied of light and will. It’s a deeply moving emotional foundation on which one can build, and In Ruins build well on it. The riffs crush and linger, simple and thunderous, but here they are not the heroic element. Melody and atmosphere take a higher seat, though these too dissolve into a more simplified, pure state that maximizes power while removing musical complexity. It’s mesmerizing as only funeral doom albums can be, and its clever writing has all the natural ingredients for a successful procession.
A common element that distinguishes the good and great funeral doom records from the lesser examples is the stunning track. Slow are known for the comparison here with the incredible “Incendiare,” Eye of Solitude with “Act II: Where the Descent Began,” Convocation with “Atychiphobia,” Woebegone Obscured with “Drømmefald.” In Ruins achieve it with the closer “Farewell,” and they do so in the most deceptively simple way. Opening the track with an excellent SWANA-inspired melody and reinforcing those deep vocal expressions later against mournful bells, In Ruins leave an indelible mark on my fundoom rotation. It’s slow and slow in its first act, embodying yet another beloved motif: the two-chord riff (see Slow‘s “Lueur” for an excellent example of this tactic). In the second, a weeping melody, isolated against humming choral synths and a siren song reminiscent of Frayle up to the album’s death rattle. It’s thrilling and grim at once, but more than that, it inspires repeated spins with the aim of experiencing the journey that led to this climax with greater anticipation and attention.
This, in turn, revitalizes and contextualizes the composition of the previous three tracks. Initially, they go through all the right motions of a genuine funeral doom experience, but without a strong sense of memorable to leave a lasting impression. But after the first spin, I noticed the clarity of “I’m Tired of Living in My Land” offered by its honest, unpretentious lyrics. I understood the emptiness and apathy that colors “I Do Not Gregret and I Do Not Shed Tears” in a monochrome, dull gray. The compositional foreshadowing felt more substantial when “We’ll Depart This World for Ever, Surrely” prepares me for “Farewell” once again. In this way, In Ruins created a record that demands repeated spins to be fully appreciated, forging a double-edged sword. On one hand, each of the first three songs on its own still lacks the same power of the closer, despite gaining substance over time. On the other hand, treated as a single unit, We Are All to Perish is a fully successful and worthy entry into the pantheon of funeral doom.
As a challenger to the top bands in the funeral space, In Ruins claim a notable place with We Are All to Perish. To go further in that space and stand out, they should make every track—especially if there are only four, as here—memorable in some meaningful way. “Farewell” is an excellent song and includes elements and ideas that, if harnessed on future records, could guarantee In Ruins a broader audience and greater recognition. Until then, rest easy knowing that while We Are All to Perish, we can at least enjoy the path that leads to the end.
Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Meuse Music Records
Websites: inruins13.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/InRuins.ro
Releases worldwide: March 13, 2026
The review was done by Angry metal guy.
https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-ruins-we-are-all-to-perish-review/
