Covenant: Modern Ruin - Release Music Magazine review (original) (raw)

	COVENANT MODERN RUIN ALBUM PROGRESS PRODUCTIONS RELEASE: JANUARY 14, 2011 REVIEW: JANUARY 10, 2011

We�re facing a restructured Covenant on �Modern Ruin�, the first album with Haujobb�s Daniel Myer on board. Daniel has proven himself a master of production and electronic trickery, and fit in well here, providing his skills in a Covenant context. I think this album is stronger than "Skyshaper" from 2006, even though it is uneven at times. Covenant seem to have a fondness for songs that doesn�t really take you anywhere, like �Dynamo Clock� or �The Night�. However, they�ve seem to have mastered the slow building track skill elsewhere like on �The Beauty and the Grace�, which is a masterpiece. Slow and atmospheric it grows by adding guitars and strings, embedding the emotion towards the end.

I can see two obvious hit songs here (other than the excellent first single �Lightbringer� of course); the first being �Judge of My Domain� in classic Covenant EBM mode. The other is a bit more of a dark horse, but I have a feeling that �Beat the Noise� could set dance floors on fire everywhere. It�s got a dirty, distorted feel to it, but it�s still catchy.

So, "Modern Ruin" is better than the last album, but it�s also littered with so-so tracks, thus making it a bit hard to assess. It ends with finesse though, via the sublime �The Road�. I think it�s a step in the right direction for the band.

JOHAN CARLSSON