Dundee hardcore band TRUTH RUINER are releasing their new EP titled “The Violent Years” today, and we to celebrate, we sat down with them to talk about each and every track from this gritty ripper.
This release marks their third offering, following their solid demo and promo releases in 2022. Contrary to the EP’s title and artwork, “The Violent Years” does not promote or glorify individual acts of violence. Instead, it serves as a reflection of the lyrical content, which focuses on the government’s aggressive social policies and its infliction of violence upon its own people.
Addressing themes of institutional violence and police brutality, TRUTH RUINER sheds light on the dark realities staining our society.
Influenced by acts like Modern Life Is War, Defeater, and Have Heart, TRUTH RUINER blends aggressive melodic hardcore with gritty punk elements, resulting in a cathartic and energetic sound.
The COVID pandemic posed challenges for the band, with lockdowns interrupting their first practice sessions. Despite the setbacks, they persisted and overcame drummer changes, eventually making their powerful debut at Book Yer Ane Fest XIV. TRUTH RUINER’s close-knit relationship and shared experiences within the local music and community scenes have contributed to their growth and creative synergy.
“The Violent Years,” is a hard-hitting collection of songs that tackles socio-political issues with unapologetic intensity.
From the instrumental opener “Hellhounds For Hire” to the powerful closing track “The Absent Throne,” the band addresses topics such as institutional violence, military conflicts, and the destructive nature of governments and corporations.
With guest vocal appearances and thought-provoking lyrics, TRUTH RUINER creates a gripping and uncompromising musical experience that challenges complacency and calls for change. The EP’s overall commentary reflects a deep sense of frustration, highlighting the need to confront the systemic issues that threaten our society’s future. Dive into the details of the EP below.
Hellhounds For Hire – opens the EP. It is an instrumental track that we play at the start of our live sets to get the crowd moving. Did we open our EP with a Nic Cage sample? Yes, yes we did.
Searching For Annihilation – This is about how corrupt capitalist corporations, governments and those in power prioritise profit over the sustainability of our planet. Relentlessly mining finite resources on a dying planet in order to profit – a true race to the bottom. Justifying the continued existence of the military industrial complex with endless war, aggressive cuts to public spending while giving tax breaks to the rich, who profiteer from war, austerity and pillaging the world’s resources. They are nihilistic and don’t care that the planet will not be habitable for our children or that it will eventually lead to our extinction as a species, only that they can reap the benefits today. It’s like the human race is self destructive and ultimately strives towards its own demise, and it is almost like we have accepted that this is normal. We all feel that we are largely complacent and hopeless, which itself, is a symptom of years of gaslighting by those in power.
Dan WVHC from Upraised/Point of Existence does a guest vocal at the end of the track.
First Ambush – This song is the first we wrote for this release and is about the internal conflicts I have with my time in the military. It’s written from both the perspective of who I am now, in my politics, ethics and morals and who I was then, and also to my former comrades. Themes of treachery, guilt, and the feeling that neither version of myself can redeem the other.
Young people are brainwashed into wanting to join the armed forces, I was indoctrinated on YouTube, others by playing military games. These outlets don’t prepare you for the environment you are about to walk into and the situations you will find yourself having to deal with. The ridiculous age you can join the military is a disgrace and the way recruits are treated is disgusting.
The Absent Throne – The closing track on the EP was also the last written for it. Lyrically, its central themes are those of nihilism, in the context of the government, much like with Searching For Annihilation. There is a play on Nietzsche’s philosophy, but instead of “God is dead and we have killed him” it’s “God was never even alive in the first place”
Our governments are the real harbingers of doom and it is them that we should be afraid of, not the possibility of some divine judgement or retribution. If we allow the trend of strongmen and populist grifters to continue to be put in positions of power and allow them to make policies that only benefit the rich and work exclusively with profit over people in mind – then we are on a pathway to destruction, and clemency should be the least of your worries.
