Cor Scorpii

RUIN DARK ESSENCE SOGNAMETAL-ALIGNED BLACK METALLERS FIND THEIR OWN ROUTE TO THE EPIC

Those who know their Norwegian black metal will be aware that Cor Scorpii’s genesis was linked to the demise of the legendary Windir. They formed the same year, featuring that band’s keyboard player, Gaute Refsnes, guitarist Strom and drummer Steingrim. While Gaute is now the only one remaining of the three, there is more than a passing resemblance between Cor Scorpii’s winding black/pagan metal compositions and those found on Windir’s later releases, with parallels also being easily drawn to Strom’s recently resurrected outfit, Mistur. If you’re familiar at all with these Sognametal outfits you’ll know what the deal is, but suffice to say that Ruin sits comfortably alongside respected works by the aforementioned bands, with a consistently epic, melodic and multi-layered approach that skilfully avoids becoming overly commercial and slick, despite their clean production and irresistible catchiness.

FOR FANS OF: WINDIR, MISTUR,

KAMPFAR