Band:	Ruina / Tundra / Operation Winter Mist
Album:	Allegiance Of The Profane Pack
Style:	Black metal, Death metal
Release date:	2007
A review by:	BitterCOld

Ruina
01. Ukrunia
02. The Tree Of Kin Is Rotting
03. My Holey Soul
04. Cattle Sapiens

Tundra
05. Transilvanian Hunger [Darkthrone cover]
06. The Triumph Of Black
07. Prelude To A Soaring Blackfire
08. Total Human Collapse

Operation Winter Mist
09. Battleflag
10. Suicide Warfare
11. Nocturnal Hell [Slaughter cover]

Well, the Winter Olympics are currently going on in Canada. Speaking of the Canadian north, courtesy of a contact with the now defunct NMB records, I recently received a copy of the Allegiance Of The Profane Pack three-band split. All that in mind, I thought I'd try a, uh, rather unique approach to this review, with God(in, Luke) as my co-pilot..

Enjoy. Or don't. Like I care.

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BC: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, you are looking live at UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest outside of Vancouver for the Extreme Metal 8k Biathlon. We have three contestants remaining vying for the podium and national glory. Hailing from frozen tundra of Ukraine, Ruina. From the slopes of Italy, Tundra. Finally, the local favorites, Canada's own Operation Winter Mist.

BC: Joining me in the booth today is riff-veteran and former bronze medalist in Nordic Power Trio event, Calgary's Luke "Doc" Godin, providing the color analysis...

Doc: Colour? My soul is devoid of colour; black, much like the majority of this split.


Ruina

BC: And we're off! Ruina is off to a smashing start right out of their gate with "Ukruina"... crisp sounding black metal riffs with a touch of death thrown in. The dual vocal approach also adds to the strong start. The occasional use of that roaring subsonic death metal growl to underline the typical, but fairly well executed black metal screeches really kicks you in the junk. Luke, what the hell was that twang? Did they just break out a mouth harp?

Doc: That's what it sounds like BC, and right off the bat they're setting a high bar by bringing in bizarre elements into a vicious atmosphere, almost bouncy and catchy, while still cold & dark.

BC: Yes, I agree. Totally unexpected maneuver on their part, seems odd, but oddly not entirely out of place. It continues with "The Tree Of Kin Is Rotting", giving their blistering pace a bounce in it's step. The bass work is also an effective approach. While it doubles up the blackened riffing, it provides muscle and backbone to the approach, and stands out wonderfully rambling and rumbling during the Drudkh influenced "Cattle Sapiens." .

The drummer also appears comfortable at this clip, feverishly playing along in a workmanlike effort, but with shining moments, particularly the opening portions of "My Holey Soul". They have managed to maintain quite the driving pace but it's not fatiguing, perhaps a benefit of today's shorter distance. I could see keeping this up for 50 minutes would get tiresome, but with only 15 minutes, the pace worked well.


Tundra

BC: Oh my. Tundra has faltered immediately as the competition begins. The decision to cover Darkthrone's "Transilvanian Hunger" will cost them. It's easy to play, but deceptively hard to capture. The drumwork, particularly on the cymbals, overpowers the guitars... sounds like just random crashes from time to time. It's one thing emulate the a successful titan of the genre, but it can also be a bit of a gamble.

Doc: Predictable is all I have to say about this performance, BC. If Tundra wanted to take the gold they should be a little more creative in the execution of their music.

BC: They have continued to show the DT influence well into their routine, with "The Triumph Of Black" and the almost Immortal-esque named "Prelude To A Soaring Blackfire". Their approach to the event is more tried and true with not much of anything new to help them cover ground in this competition. It's well done with it's harking back to past influences, but not quite interesting or innovative enough to fire up the audience.


Operation Winter Mist

BC: And the crowd is all abuzz as the local heroes enter the fray. Their initial mid-pace approach "Battleflag" is reminiscent of Amon Amarth, only more blackened... with some hints of High On Fire during the chorus. Primary vocal delivery is death growl, but as with the Ukrainians, they occasionally incorporate an even lower and perhaps more powerful death growl to augment their attack. Their pace has quickened into a frenzied driving beat now, definitely paying dividends. An enjoyable performance.

Wow. With "Suicide Warfare" the initial midpace riffing quickly gave way to an all-out blitz attack at an aggressive cruising speed, although the pace is not maintained for long before settling back down into that comfortable but effective mid-speed pace. It's clear that while they can burn or play slow, they best hit their peak performance with that driving cruising speed. It's clearly their stride.

As with Tundra, they have also opted to pay homage to their influences by covering "Nocturnal Hell" by fellow Canucks, Slaughter... and it is strong enough to help carry them across the finish line with an impressive effort, but not quite enough to catch the Ukrainian competitor in today's event.


Post Game Wrap-Up and Medal Ceremony

BC: So, ladies and gentlemen, there you have your order of finish.

The Bronze goes to Tundra for a solid, but not incredibly inspired or innovative effort. Hopefully they'll spend some time to develop their own niche in time for their next release. (6.25)

Silver goes to local favorite Operation Winter Mist for their rollicking affair. (7)

And, oh my, Ukrainians are delirious with joy and are madly celebrating Ruina for their Gold medal winning push here today. Job well done. (7.25)

Any parting thoughts, Doc?

Doc: Absolutely not...Except for perhaps one; don't waste your time with Tundra.

BC: That's it, everybody. Special thanks to our crew for helping us present today's match. Hope you folks watching at home enjoyed yourself as much as we did. Good night and drive safe.