Portland’s atmospheric black doom outfit Mind Prisoner returns, this time with a monumental full length, The Color of Ruin. This six-track record showcases the band’s evolution into a creative force at the peak of its powers, delivering a searing blend of extreme metal heaviness and raw underground mentality. Produced once again by Scott Elliott of Chernobyl Audio, the album plunges deeper into themes of loss, obsession, and the fracturing of identity, resulting in a harrowing yet cathartic experience.
The Color of Ruin finely combines shimmering melodies with earth-shaking riffs born from the bleakest depths of black metal. Anchored by vocals dripping with anguish and desperation, the album strikes a chilling balance between despair and brutality, all while maintaining an atmospheric grandeur.
From the outset, Soothsayer sets a forbidding tone, bringing forward a cold, edgy ambiance. While the full ferocity of Mind Prisoner’s sound has yet to surface, the track establishes an ominous sense of impending doom. The title track intensifies the mood with brooding melodicism and an escalating tension which foreshadows the album’s crushing weight. The influence of post punk from the members’ other project, NIGHTSISTER, seeps through, enriching the texture with an emotional edge. By the time the tortured vocals make their entrance, Mind Prisoner is in full command of their extreme metal prowess.
Tracks like Forever unleash sludgy black metal fury, combining serrated melodies with a visceral sharpness which cuts to the bone. Phantom Dreams pushes the boundaries further, merging blackened atmospheres with death metal brutality. These elements, showcased in previously released tracks like 3:33, underscore the band’s knack for coming up with emotionally charged sounds abounding in vigorousness and nuance.
The album reaches a zenith with Nothing Comes After, a nearly seven-minute number which encapsulates The Color of Ruin and its essence. A devastating blend of intricate guitar work, blackened atmospherics, and death-inflected, mournful vocals, the track is a fitting closer to an album steeped in desolation and defiance.
In The Color of Ruin, Mind Prisoner delivers a sound which feels as punishing as it is redemptive; a relentless exploration of internal collapse, soaked in distress and propelled by great musicianship.
ZR