Having tested the waters with their 2022 demo Barbarian State Of The Mind, Polish Black/Thrash/Speed Metal trio Scrüda are set to break the boundaries further and unleash upon us their debut full-length Fury Among Ruins. An offering of ten tracks spanning an intensely filled eighteen minutes, this delivers a short, sharp shock to the senses that is as brutally driving as it is catchy and is guaranteed to take you on an exhilarating aural rollercoaster ride.
Scrüda – Fury Among Ruins (Godz Ov War Productions)
Release Date: 31 January 2025
Words: Jools Green
Opener Philosophy is a dark, manic driver. The repeating riffing forms a subtle melodic undercurrent enough to make it both exhilarating and engaging. The harsh vocal delivery sears through with menace, while the riffs also burst forth in short, sharp blasts, adding to the atmosphere of the piece.
Lone Duelist is as intense as it gets. You find yourself engulfed for the first half in a wave of black raw riffs as the deeper vocals pound your senses. Midway, things switch to something slightly more thrashy as they unleash a meld of heady pounding rhythms, searing leadwork and tormented angry screams.
Ape From Hell literally has the musical atmosphere of a marauding ape charging angrily towards you, as it delivers pounding rhythms, a frantic pace and a mix of growled and higher shouted vocals. Given the lyrics, hinting that it’s possibly sex crazed and under demonic possession, it’s probably best to stay out of its way if you can. But on a more serious note, this is a great track that is intense, driving and engaging.
Released as a single last November, Hellfire Glow packs a filthy punch, with riffs that drive blasts of drum work and eerie repeating leads. The pace builds in speed and intensity as it progresses. All the while, the growling, snarling, and screaming vocals carve a menacing swathe through everything. An absolutely superb piece.
The next piece, Kill, is possibly my favourite, but it is a difficult decision because there are so many catchy pieces on this album. Kill is straightforward and to the point, driving initially before dropping into sleazy searing riffs. We then break into the compact, repeating lyric, “Kill. They want to kill me, but I will, kill them!” It is all about the delivery and this is done with perfect precision.
Swords is a superb, short, sharp blast of Black Speed Metal, sixty-one seconds of punchy dark driving riffs, unrelenting pummelling drum rhythms and hugely catchy vocal layering. There is a hell of a lot jammed into this tiny time frame.
I do love Frozen Heart. It is one of the longer pieces with a rolling blackened core, which gives it a hugely catchy edge. It delivers a slightly slower pace compared to many previous pieces, although it quickens and intensifies in the second half, and the dual vocal layering really adds depth.
Intense thrashy riffs charge their way through Bonded By Hate. It is predominantly an undulating driver, but for a while, just before the midway point, it takes on a bit of a Hardcore feel, particularly the delivery of the lyrics.
The penultimate piece, Vile Alliance, is a crushing driver. It is lyrically interesting to the point of being somewhat esoteric as there could be many hidden meanings in there, especially when considering this somewhat uncertain world we live in.
Finally, the last offering, When A World Ended, is sharp and punchy with an ominous tone and delivers a warning.
Fury Among Ruins is an exhilarating and engaging listen end to end. It will be available as a CD or digital release.
