"Hyderomastgroningem has always been my favorite Ruins album. I love all their albums, some more than others, but I tend to like the more tightly compositioned of their songs as opposed to the messy (but still cool) improv songs. Tzomborgha is the best Ruins album I have heard, and I've heard almost all of them... and THANK GOD Ipecac put it on their label alongside Magaibutsu to make it easier to get a hold of in the US.
This album is extremely complex, super tight, and includes a variety of different sounds with pedals and voice effects never before heard in any Ruins album. The album is simply amazing. I never thought Ruins could possibly come up with anything more original than Hyderomastgroningem but they have by going into a new abstract style. Take any number of their super complex signature-changing songs and add 100 more beats to each pattern... meaning a lot of the patterns are so long and complex that it must have taken them months just to memorize one measure. All the while remaining fast and upbeat... not just a single complex pattern slowed down.
Every song on it's own sounds like a combo of all my favorite Ruins songs rolled into one... times 15. I've been waiting for this album for a very very long time. If you only buy one Ruins album in your life, make it this one. THANK YOU Yoshida Tatsuya for being born!"
...
Dirty Pant'loon | 07/23/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You like complex, inhuman, yet oddly coherent music on crack? Look no further. This is like Britney Spears x 10!!!! Insanely technical and absolutely impossible to play. Unless you're japanese. Or RoboCop. Or both.
Read the previous section backwards, and put a pineapple on your computer. That is "Tzomborgha"."
We all need more Japanese prog-rock
SPM | Eugene, Oregon | 09/03/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is better than Hyderomastgroningem (the only other Ruins album I own) simply because it's all music. Hyderomastgroningem has a few tracks of howling gibberish and static. This time, every track is super-tight bass-and-drums. It sounds like twenty Rush instrumentals squished into 50 minutes.If you like crazy, genre-hopping music like Mr. Bungle or just about anything by John Zorn (especially Naked City), you'll like this."
Complex,Exhausting,Relentless,Mind Boggling....
vyper | Minneapolis | 08/30/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Tatsuya Yoshida has been making music with his main band Ruins for almost 20 years now.And although there are slight variations to the core idea over the years,depending on the bass player of the moment and various fx used,the strategy remains the same.Faux-operatic jabbering,stop/start/rewind/play-it-again insane time signatures,hyper drumming,and sounds and textures one wouldn't normally associate,much less believe could come from a 5 or 6 string bass guitar.The crucial elements that make Ruins more than just a novelty act are-a sense of humor that allows them to reach places serious musicians(read:snobs)wouldn't be caught dead attempting.With that sense of humor is also the fact that they are dead serious about it,no one in their right mind would create music this complex and difficult to play as just a joke.Their belief in this approach and yet not taking it so seriously that they can't have fun also prevents this music from being simply another "show off" display by self conscious musicians.That is simply to say,the world that Yoshida creates is natural to him,certainly by now he isn't TRYING,this IS the language he has created.Even as a longtime Ruins fan,I must admit it can be exhausting trying to digest all that's going on in the music,even as it flys by at 150 mph.Although at times the approach can seem like it has a limited life-span,Tzomborgha proves that Yoshida has enough tricks up his sleeve to keep it fresh.Tzomborgha is in my opinion the best Ruins album since Hyderomastringoen.All the albums since that one haven't improved drastically on the formula,and yes,some of those albums simply seem like they are going through the motions.The production quality also varies greatly,whereas Refusal Fossil has all manner of lo-fi recording quality and Palloschtom does not have the "punch"of typical Ruins releases.I also didn't care for some of Sasaki's bass tones and approach on Palloschtom.Tzomborgha has several fresh touches:the production is great,Yoshida's killer snare is always punching your speakers,and Yoshida also put more time into the mix,with creative reverb and panning.Hisashi Sasaki's bass playing is assured as ever,at times he strums so fast on songs like"Issighirudoh"you wonder why he just doesn't play guitar instead.He also sneaks in some chicken scratch and funk licks on "Gurthemvhail".Another treat is "Wanzhemvergg"which after the 90 mph-dash to the chorus,breaks down into sort of an ambient/world music funk groove,that is a nice break from the typical Ruins onslaught.Other highlights include "Chittam Irangaayo"which apparently has something to do with Shankar,and indeed is Ruins with a indian classical touch.Also appearing are two of Ruins medley series,one devoted to Mahavishnu Orchestra and the other a Black Sabbath medley with highly amusing vocals.In my mind this is a progression for Ruins.They have added some aggression back into the playing,while still developing new textures.And it goes without saying these complex tunes are played so fast and deftly yet it seems like these guys could do it in their sleep."
Wondorful avant-garde prog rock
Chris 'raging bill' Burton | either Kent or Manchester, United Kingdom | 02/25/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"One could almost compare Tzomborgha to a cross between the wackiness of Fantomas and the impressive technical aspects of Spiral Architect, though Ruins have been around longer than both. Really though, that only serves as a rough description to intice people (seeing as both bands are more well known, to me at least, than Ruins) but doesn't really do Ruins any justice because it implies they don't have a sound of their own. Which, according to my admitedly limited knowledge, they certainly do.
Its hard to believe that this music is all made on drums and bass because at times you'd swear there was a guitar or, to a lesser extent, a keyboard in the mix. This is certainly some impressive bass playing because of the versitality it holds. The vocals don't disappoint either - bizarre, quirky chanting or a delicate falsetto, they always add to the mood of the music. There's also a feature in a lot of music labeled as avant-garde or even some prog that listenability is sacrificed in the name of weirdness and/or experimentation. Here, they are weird and experimental whilst still making great music, be it atmospheric, exciting or simply pleasant to listen to whilst still doing something new. Some moments are actually rather melodic.
Tzomborgha is clearly not music for everyone but unlike the likes of Orthrelm, the music is definately more listenable (not that I don't like what I've heard of Orthrelm so far). If you're prepared for weirdness, you'll find a surprisingly diverse and fulfilling album."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1