RUTHLESS

It is always satisfying when bands eventually reap their just rewards. RUTHLESS first emerged from Los Angeles in the early '80s, with a sound that was as timely and prescient as any at the time. Their 1986 debut album "Discipline Of Steel" is the kind of underrated obscurity that eludes the historical radar, but diehard old-school metal freaks will be more than familiar with its fiery but primitive contents. RUTHLESS split in 1988 but reconvened in 2015, with powerhouse vocalist Sammy DeJohn (and, intermittently, drummer Bob Guitrau) surviving from that earlier era. Since then they have made up for lost time with two well-received full-lengths that brought a dash of modern steel to their defiantly traditional sound. In particular, 2019's "Evil Within" was a vital slice of retro euphoria that deserved more attention.

Five years may have passed, but this kind of breathless, high-intensity metal never ages and never loses an ounce of its inherent intensity, at least when executed by a band with roots as deep as RUTHLESS seem to have (DeJohn is said to have briefly rehearsed with METALLICA back in 1982, albeit to no professional avail). "The Fallen" is more of the same (because why wouldn't it be?),  while also giving new guitarist Glen Paul an opportunity to assert himself. If you need a balls-out heavy metal record to wake you up and ease you into 2024 with a sore neck and a headache, this may well be the one.

RUTHLESS don't muck about with anything that doesn't reek of denim and/or leather, but equally they are no kind of one-trick pony. "The Fallen" covers all expected bases, from tooth-rattling speed metal blowouts to moments of haughty bombast, with DeJohn as a charismatic focal point. The direct and destructive likes of "Dark Passenger" and "Betrayal" have the essence of thrash coursing through their veins, while more dramatic and grandiose songs like "No Mercy" and "Thulsa Doom" exhibit a more varied palate of inspiration, with the heaviness of BLACK SABBATH, the muscular power of early MANOWAR and the pitch-black pugilism of METAL CHURCH all playing spectral roles. After all this time, RUTHLESS have refined their own take on these classic elements. Whether it's "End Times" languorous horror or the bulletproof braggadocio of "Soldiers Of Steel", the combination of DeJohn's voice and his comrades' earthy ensemble performances is classic and timely in equal measure.

Importantly, "The Fallen" is pure fucking metal from explosive start to roof-lifting finish. There is an art to writing old-school metal songs as sharp and satisfying as the DIO-fuelled "Order Of The Dragon" or doomed-out closer "Live To Die" and RUTHLESS have mastered it here, bringing their own spiky flair to the formula and basking in the results. If heavy metal is all we need — and it generally is — then "The Fallen" will keep us going for months.