I can already tell you that the new release of the French band Artefact will be one of the great surprises of the year 2008. "Ruins" is the third album of this really atypical combo and I really think that it will be the album of "the next step" the release that the people will remember to be the one which gave the status of "important band" to this really good combo. If you like original Metal and want to listen to an album full of hits (but which is not commercial of course) remember my words and have a look asap on Ruins. Artefact will kick our asses this year! Even if some people say that Artefact is a Black Metal band, I think that I will have to give a better description to the music of the combo if you really want to understand what Artefact is. Of course some rhythms and vocals are near of Black Metal but all in all, Ruins is definitely more like an Epic album of Progressive Folk / Death / Black Metal (a bit like with the last Primordial or also a bit like "Mabool" of Orphaned Land). The songs are all really long with great epic choruses and with a ton of different melodies break and complex guitars soli. All in all, Ruins is a great original album and even if Artefact has some influences which come from the Viking Metal bands or even from bands like Opeth, they have their own unique sound and it's great to see that nowadays some bands are still able to surprise us. This album is mature, this is already the third album of the combo but it sounds like the album of the maturity. With a perfect production and not any mistakes I can tell you that Artefact will surprise a lot of people. In fact I can even say that this band will become one of the leaders of the French Metal scene. Without being commercial they have catchy songs which will please all the Metalheads, from the fans of extreme Metal to the ones who like melodic music. I can only recommend to you this release and I'm proud to talk about a band from my country which has this musical level. Technical, violent but epic and melodic (and even proggy) Ruins is already one of the great albums of the beginning of the year 2008. You're in front of a little jewel my friends. Don't believe the ones who say that Artefact only plays Black Metal, this is not a classic Black Metal but more like a real melting pot of extreme music and really it's great stuff. Don't miss this release if you like to listen to Progressive extreme Metal and Folk music, Ruins is just classy as hell. Congratulation to the frenchies of Artefact they have just released one of the best album of the French Metal scene.