Album Review: Graceless - Icons Of Ruin
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Graceless are one of those bands whom have been collecting fans across their numerous records for some years now, and with every release they demonstrate their quality tenfold, and now raring to unleash their fourth full length album my attention whips round again to Graceless for another bout of bludgeoning death. Formed in 2016 out of Leiden, South Holland, The Netherlands, Graceless burst unto the scene with their first album, Shadowlands, back in 2017. A few singles followed suit before they release their second record, Where Vultures Know Your Name, in 2020 to vast acclaim shooting the band up amongst modern metal’s greatest burgeoning acts. Their most recent work, Chants From Purgatory, came out two years after and had the difficult task of living up to what many considered one of 2020’s best records. Now, slated for a May 30th release window, Graceless return with Icons Of Ruin through Listenable Records. The band are renowned for their consistently high levels of quality and I went into this album with that very idea in mind. Whenever Graceless have a new album on the horizon I always make time to check it out. Join me.
Graceless’ signature brutality makes itself immediately apparent as their performance hits with the density of cinderblocks and like clenched fists their riffs find the soft flesh of our physique, seeking to drive lesions right through us. As a result the production is absolutely on point for the type of sound that the band apply here, for when their songwriting slows and you’ve got that crunching aesthetic utilised via singular, strummed notes, the strength they impart feels dramatically heightened. I would not describe the record as being overtly heavy on the bass, it sits somewhere in the middle whereby it can be neither overpowering or overpowered, but the sheer weight this record slaps us with would wake even the most revered dreamer. Even as things pick up momentum, it never feels like it’s a sudden shift in songwriting or tempo as the band manage to organically transition you from one phase of the assault to the next. Its seamless and it doesn’t need to signpost itself that things might be changing soon. The overall aesthetic Graceless perform with is one of seething, boiling rage, barely contained as you espy how close they always are to letting loose all hell.
As per the production also, you’ll find the mix doesn’t allow much leeway for the band’s sound to escape. Once a riff or vocal bellow etc is unleashed, it’ll remain within the confines of the record until the track, or the full track running, is entirely done. Therefore they can throw multiple angles of a track at us without losing strength or intensity since the most aggressive aspects of their performance, even should they not return that level of intensity again, remain and thus are snowballed along with whatever comes next from their performance. There will be occasions whereby you’ll strike the air in time with the drums, given the power they impart or find your head swaying side to side in accordance with the riffs. Each track in turn bottles up the residual power that came prior and when the band undergo more particular sequences where they want your attention, you’ll be giving it to them without hesitation for they’ll have you in their palms. It is good to acknowledge however that Icons Of Ruin isn’t so inescapable, this is far from crushing, and thus enables you to breathe just enough to appreciate what is happening in the moment.
Against the currents of many modern death metal vocalists, Remco Kreft stands out for his ability to project a more scathing, scraping delivery style that enables Graceless’ relentless power find traction and credibility. Rather than simply seeking to blow us over with power alone, Graceless utilise vocals to imbue their sound with a much more coarse feel as if we were touching sandpaper. The band may hearken their sound to death/doom metal but Graceless are far removed from the plethora of bands that have assumed that mantle for they’ve seen to it their vocal delivery isn’t smooth, it doesn’t run alongside the riffs, it doesn’t construct a cheap façade to be more elegant than what it organically is. There’s no hiding from what Graceless can do for vocals and neither do they attempt to mask it themselves either; they’re perfectly aware of their vocals’ aesthetic and I’d argue its that baritone squelch they emit that grants them such presence. It always sounds like Kreft is having to reach to the depths of his cords to retch these bellows out, as if he’s forever one syllable away from total vocal impairment. Its this odd danger to the self that keeps us engaged as Graceless craft a record that’s far from refined or tidy even when the production has rendered the band with a gloriously smooth playing field to work off of.
It's been sometime since I encountered a record with such strong presence. Icons Of Ruin is a record that utterly basks in the light of its own creation, knowing just how strong its projecting glare is to us and then revelling thoroughly in it. The songwriting really gives weight to this notion as some tracks are written so well you’d think they were tailored around one or two specific sections, yet this we know is a falsehood since each track is studiously written from start to finish. Though the overall variety of riffs or ambience across the record hardly changes, you’l never find yourself thinking the band should start changing things up because they pull off this steadier style of death/doom so strongly. In my mind Icons Of Ruin is a significantly stronger release than their last and potentially ranks as their best work to date; Graceless really have nailed that fusion of blunt force impact with deliberate, near-architectural crafting of how a song should feel. Even as the album moves firmly into its back half you’ll find the band barely waning on energy, as if they could keep going on and on, constantly reinvigorating themselves through the sheer weight of their presence alone.
In conclusion, Icons Of Ruin is Graceless’ best work yet if you ask me. I’ve followed these guys since the first Pandemic lockdown around which time I first discovered the band, and have only found them go from strength to newfound strength. There’s a grandiosity to their performance here that slams you in the face yet still manages to feel humble and recognise its first task: to entertain, to enthral for its nearly fifty minute runtime. Its this monolithic yet incorruptibly focused opus that is dead set on the end goal alone; there is nothing you could throw Graceless’ way to distract them from their course. What could get in their way would become the way and thus steamroll right through it. Icons Of Ruin is the greatest in scope, the grandest in vision, the most commanding in stature, that Graceless’ works have ever been. Experiencing this record is a joy because even as the last seconds play out you know full well you could pick up that record from the first minute all over again and know it was time spent well. I’m very excited to see what others think of this record for it really is Graceless’ finest hour, that’s when you know a band is onto something; you’re ecstatic to see what our peers think, to recognise the reflection of your own faith in Graceless in others around you. God knows Graceless have earned it, and its for that reason I will always give them my attention whenever a new record by the band comes forth. An exceptional release.
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