TAINT
The Ruin Of Nova Roma 2xLP
A1. The Sound-Out Competition
A2. Zealots And Whores
A3. He Got Cop Eyes
A4. Drunken Marksman
B1. The Idol / The Memory
B2. The Ruin Of Nova Roma
C1. Amaranthine
C2. I'm Going To Kill Henry Ford
D1. Poison Pen Attack!
D2. Cours Et Conquistadors
After ten years of bravely ploughing their own musical furrow, South Wales' kings of heavy stoner-tinged post-hardcore rock 'n' roll finally unleash their debut album after several singles and EP releases. This is the vinyl version of the album that came out on the legendary Rise Above Records, home to such luminaries as Electric Wizard and Cathedral.
Ltd. to 630 copies on black 2xLP.
CD version released on Rise Above.
Taint | Chris, Al, Jimbob | Site
Reviews
Thank the unholy gods there are still bands and labels putting out music worth listening to. Just when I think all hope is lost, a band like Taint comes along with their newest release The Ruin of Nova Roma and gives me a reason to live again. I'm not just being melodramatic here; this is another release from Lee Dorian's (Cathedral, Napalm Death) label Rise Above (Electric Wizard, Grand Magus, Unearthly Trance, Witchcraft, etc.) that is truly a breath of fresh air.
So, if you've never heard this band, or aren't familiar with the related company listed above, then I'll help you out a bit. First, Taint has been around for a while (since 1994) in some incarnation or another. However, other than a massive slew of demos, compilation appearances, and split releases, the band hasn't really released a proper, powerful full-length statement until now. And they have done it exceedingly well.
Second, there are some comparisons to other bands flying around that don't seem fair to what Taint does. For instance, a lot of people have talked about their sound being similar to that of Mastodon. I think there are plenty of other bands that fall closer to Taint's sound than Mastodon. Whereas Mastodon is concerned with epic whale metal, Taint is more focused on a continuum between heavy, slightly punk based riffing, and more expansive, contemplative movements (though these two rarely occur in the same song). Think instead of Keelhaul meets Hot Water Music. Therefore, it's not surprising to learn that they've shared the stage with the former band as well as the likes of Clutch, Avail, Cathedral, and the Hidden Hand, because Taint shares elements of all these bands. Don't let me mislead you into thinking that Taint is one large hodgepodge copy of the aforementioned bands, because they certainly present their own thing here while still using various influences.
Specifically, the structure of the music contained in last year's Ruin of Nova Roma (this year in the U.S.) is varied well, and represents an emotive spectrum of sounds and ideas that most bands do not have the range to capture. The guitar sound encapsulates hard southern rock (even though they're from the UK) and the occasional twangy melody interspersed throughout some of the heaviest riffs you've heard on this side of the pond. This sound is perfectly complemented by the bass, diverse drumming, and gritty singing/screaming. It is clear that the three musicians in Taint have honed their craft and that they have done so as a collective.
Bottom Line: Taint has presented a musical offering that should be listened to and respected. They should be put in a context of similar bands, yet recognized as an entity that can stand alone. They are competent songwriters who lead the listener on an ever changing journey, and that when it's over, makes the listener want to immediately do it again. 8/10
- Lambgoat
It may have taken Taint ten years to release a full-length album, but every second of The Ruin of Nova Roma is worth the wait. Holy shit, these guys are good. It’s tough to pinpoint the band’s sound. Aggro metal, for sure, but from there it gets tougher to define. You’ve got songs which have the hell-bent biker metal sound of a band like Entombed, but with the more abrasive bite of a Converge-like outfit. The title track starts off sparsely and gradually builds to an uplifting peak, maintaining an intense level of heavy. “The Idol/The Memory,” my favorite of the ten songs, is based on a rolling bass line that steamrolls into a crushing riff. It’s a direct song, but there’s a fair amount of complexity underneath it. “Amaranthine” is a slow burning, almost doom-ish song that features some haunting vocals by a female guest singer. And the final song, “Cours et Conquistadors,” has an almost straightforward rock beat to it. Best of all, this variety ties together perfectly. Throughout all ten songs, it’s unmistakably the work of one band, a band that’s damn talented. The Ruin of Nova Roma needs to be heard. Awesome, awesome stuff.
- Stonerrock
Taint are one of those all too elusive bands who successfully induce the bone splitting dynamics of Neurosis without losing an iota of their own bruising identity, since Taint are clearly an indomitable force of destructo crunch all of their own. Fairly swiftly "The Ruin of Nova Roma" introduces monstrous juggernaut guitars and pulverising rhythms that assault the listener's head pan as if connected to Sonny Chiba's enraged fists, each fistful of angular, pugilist noise core curdles the very marrow.
This fearsome Welsh power trio's expertise in both skull raping guitar battery and exultant melody makes for a deliciously inscrutable debut where glib generalisations are woefully inappropriate. They have a gruesome, leathery umbilicus connecting them to the likes of Fugazi, Cop Shoot Cop, Unsane, Shellac and Theory of Ruin but after severing said ties they roar into adulthood polluting minds and speaker cables with James Isaac's bottom-heavy schizoid guitar grooves that both confound and delight with skittish indie-core eccentricity and all out brutish chug.
It's this seemingly effortless marrying of divergent genres which makes "The Ruin of Nova Roma" such a magnificent listen, made all the more exhilarating by the exemplary rhythm section comprising of drummer, Alex harries and bass player, Chris West.
This is a dazzling exercise in Helmetoid metal which should make it onto many 'best of' lists due to its startling originality and whose weighty, teeth-grinder dynamics are guaranteed to spread a ricti of pleasure across a legion of riff-worshipping faces far and wide. Naturally all of this meaty goodness would be lost without a suitably hefty mix provided by Alex Newport who clearly makes his presence felt.
- Roadburn
This album has been a long time in coming, but worth every minute. Then, as if the wait wasn't long enough, they tease us for another 45 seconds at the start of 'The sound-out competition' with echoing, repeating, guitar twiddles before the full brunt of the Taint show begins!
A leaning towards sludge, but on a much grander scale, as if possessed by the Neurosis grandoise machine, Taint manage to hone dynamics in a song much better than most, and remind me very much of Fudge Tunnel back in the day when they were so overlooked as one of the most important bands in the UK. Sonically there is definitely a comparison to the 'Tunnel, and then I read afterwards in the notes that this album was, in fact, produced by the one Alex Newport of F.T. infamy! For some reason this album has been fully released on Rise Above Records 18 months after it was recorded!
Taint manage to combine the sound of the glory days of the rise of stoner rock back in the late 70's, with the new breed of monstrously riff drenched slower sludg bands perfectly, and add in their very own blend of how to rock! 'Zealots & whores' is an early favourite with the jerky rhythms and riffs bringing a smile to the face, before the pure rock-out that follows, and throughout the rest of the album, there is a great mix of slower, calmer, cleaner sounding moments and absolute scuzz attacks, along with the inclusion of glorious female vocal, that all lead up to another monumental track in the closer 'Cours et conquistadors'.
Fantastic record from a fantastic, hard working band, that is encased in some traditionally (and expected) stunning artwork.
- Raw Nerve