Rue – Rue

With a lineup consisting of members from Hate Theory, Sofa King Killer, and Fistula, the guys in Rue are no newcomers to rawk — they already know how to kick ass, and proceed to do so on Rue’s self-titled debut album.

Several of the tracks on Rue’s debut album draw comparisons to bands like Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Acid Bath, and one of my favorites, Pro-Pain. You’ll get no complaints from this listener. “The Escapist” and “Flathead”, the first two tracks of the album, show you right up front that these guys can dish out hardcore with the best of them. Starting on “Complacence”, the third track, the band dips into some heavy stonerville territory. From that point forward, everything becomes a a mixture of heavy hardcore, stoner, and doom — often during same song.

Production on the CD is minimal. While there aren’t a lot of effects, that’s a good thing. The mix delivers the thickness in the guitars perfectly without overprocessing or mushing anything. I could write an entire review just about the guitar tones on this CD. The guitar on Rue definitely has its own voice. It’s the perfect blend of fuzz, buzz, and grime.

Rue has done a perfect job of creating a sound, sticking to it enough to give their album cohesion, but mixing it up enough to make each of the nine songs sound unique. While only time will tell if there’s enough here to separate these guys from the pack, nothing on this disc makes me think that these guys can’t play with the big boys. Great heavy music for the horned one in your home.

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