Menace Ruine - Venus Armata - review
Menace Ruine - Venus Armata - review
Tracklist
01. Soften Our Evil Hearts02. Red Sulphur
03. Marriage In Death
04. Soothing But Cruel
05. Belly Of The Closed House
06. Torture Of Fire
07. Venus Armata
A review by
Auntie Sahar November 29, 2014
If you've been liking what Menace Ruine have been doing lately, chances are good that you'll be happy with Venus Armata. More or less following the formula of the band's few preceding albums, the music here is monotonous and droney, but also tinged with a distinctly bright feeling that feels inherently warm and uplifting. The music is lulling and hypnotic, the perfect "fall back and get lost" type of stuff, but thankfully the consistently amazing vocals of Geneviève Beaulieu help immensely to keep it guided and lifted off the ground, and those who find the more uncompromising nature of drone bands like Sunn O))) and Moss to be a bit much may highly enjoy Menace Ruine from this perspective.
The production on Venus Armata is a lot more airy and loose than some of the band's previous releases, which felt a little more gritty and dense. In a way, this works to embellish upon Menace Ruine's neofolk element in perhaps the best way yet, for it helps to make the music feel a lot more atmospheric and choir-like. The use of organ and bell, on "Red Sulphur" and "Torture Of Fire" especially helps to bring out an almost medieval sort of aesthetic, and many more moments throughout Venus Armata almost feel as though you're listening to these guys playing in some sort of massive, 16th century cathedral.
In short, Venus Armata is yet another triumph from Menace Ruine, and in many ways it feels like the band's fullest embrace of their neofolk side to date. The music still is extremely droney, and there are even a few more murky moments among it that hint to the band's black metal roots ("Soothing But Cruel"), but unlike a lot of the band's previous material, this album feels a lot more like folk music applied in a drone style than vice versa. Because of its distinct personality and brighter-than-average mood for its style, this is an album that I really think drone and non-drone fans alike can find something to enjoy in. A must listen for those who appreciate atmospheric music of any sort.
Go join the Venus army.
Written by Auntie Sahar | November 29, 2014
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Great album; thanks for reviewing  I agree that the consistently amazing vocals of Geneviève Beaulieu help immensely to keep it guided and lifted off the groundAlso, some of my favorite cover art ever.
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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Posts: 5989 Written by Susan on 29.11.2014 at 19:28 Yeah, what is it exactly? Perhaps the goddess Venus herself on the horse?
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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Posts: 5989 Written by barnesy on 29.11.2014 at 21:16 Different people use it in different ways. I typically do when I think that the music at question is unique to the point of not really being able to be given a rating, because there's very little (if any) music out there similar enough to compare it against, if that makes sense. Like I can't really say "good for you, this is how this style should be played, you get an 8!" because the style the band's producing is completely their own. I've used N/A in the past with stuff like Botanist, The Meads Of Asphodel, and Cloak Of Altering, generally really Avantgarde and nonconventional stuff that, like I said, I don't really think can be scored against any sort of pre-existing standard. I wouldn't call this album Avantgarde, but I still can't really think of anything else that it sounds like off the top of my head.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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Posts: 5826 Written by barnesy on 29.11.2014 at 21:16 And if you were asking about the abbreviation, it just means Non Available =P
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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Posts: 5989 Written by Karlabos on 29.11.2014 at 21:25 *Not Applicable, actually, but close enough 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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Posts: 18615 Written by [user id=105265] on 30.11.2014 at 03:26 So you are saying it's a tranny.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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Posts: 5161 Written by X-Ray Rod on 30.11.2014 at 11:44 Where the hell do you think the word hermAPHRODITE comes from? .
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Posts: 18615 Written by Ilham on 30.11.2014 at 11:48 I knew that. I just wanted to say it bluntly for the lulz. xP
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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Posts: 40071 Written by Auntie Sahar on 29.11.2014 at 22:38 And it also stands for Not Available 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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Posts: 5989 Written by PocketMetal on 29.11.2014 at 12:53 It was definitely drone influenced, I would say, but more so doomy drone, only with the latter releases did they begin to take more of a "pure" drone approach
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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