Ruthless have ancient roots in the metal scene but haven’t been active enough to gain much notoriety. Their Discipline of Steel debut was released way back in 1986 when a young undisciplined Steel was living for exactly the kind of US power they deliver, but tragically, our paths never crossed. Turns out they didn’t release a follow-up until 2015 and The Fallen is their fourth full-length. Led by larger-than-life frontman, Sammy DeJohn, Ruthless have polished and streamlined their original sound and approach and the listener can expect very 80s-centric classic metal fare with elements of speed and trve metal comingling with the 80s power sounds of Helstar and Jag Panzer. That puts this so deep in the wheelhouse of Steel that it goes right through the floor into the sub-basement of Steel, but there must be a reason I never heard of these cats, right? Let us proceed with all due caution to avoid a nasty fall.
While Ruthless aren’t doing anything anyone could call innovative or original, they’re quite competent at reproducing the sound of 80s metal and making it stick. Their sound will feel immediate and familiar to anyone who metaled in the golden era, and comparisons to early Jag Panzer are especially apt. The speed metal urgency of the title track is a great table setter and Sammy DeJohn’s burly, leather-lunged delivery pairs well with the beefy riffs and punchy pace. Tracks like “Betrayal” show the band has chops, balls, and bombast and it’s impossible to hear this one without thinking of Nasty Savage, as DeJohn adopts a very Nasty Ronnie-esque lilt to his voice. This is fine by me and one should always strive to be more Nasty Ronnie than Unnasty Ronald. This one moved directly to the Grand Liifting List ov Steel before it was half over. Joining it is “No Mercy” which also punches above its weight with a sword-ready epic sound that delivers a machismo sandwich packed with protein and extra curly back hair. This one is surprisingly good and has been getting heavy replays in the heavy room.
Other fine moments arrive with “Thulsa Doom” where the epic trve metal vibe is amplified with thicc doom riffage for a large-scale assault on your back Gondor. This one really gets under my brain skin and I love the extra heavy vibe it imparts. “Order of the Dragon” is the best Saxon song in the last few years except it runs a bit too close to “Power and the Glory” for its own good. I still dig it muchly though. There isn’t much filler here to complain about, though “Dark Passenger” is somewhat weak compared to its brethren, and the simmering power ballad “End Times” is decent with some surprisingly Dio-esque vocals from DeJohn, but it could be a bit tighter. At 41-plus minutes, The Fallen is a crisp little throwback album with more hits than misses and it keeps things fairly intense the entire time. Anthemic, aggressive, and lively, this is what the 80s sound was and is all about.
Sammy DeJohn is the brains behind Ruthless and he’s resurrected the band to fulfill his metal dreams of supremacy. He’s a solid vocalist with an old school slant to his delivery, and at various times I was reminded of the aforementioned metal heroes and also Jag Panzer’s Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin and Paragon’s Andreas Babuschkin. That’s a well-round gentleman and his performance is a big part of the charm here. Aiding DeJohn in his ruthless endeavors, Glen Paul delivers a solid collection of road-grading, meat-tenderizing 80s riffs of various weights and masses. The beefy chugs and crisp speed riffs are there, and he does the trve metal thing really well too. Sandy K. Vasquez plays a competent bass and gets to shine in Steve Harris-like ways at times. The band is tight and the writing is solid and mostly convincing though definitely stuck in the mid 80s.
I didn’t expect all that much from The Fallen, but I’m happily impressed by what I got and it has me going back into the past to acquire their earlier works. If you love the 80s metal sound, this will likely entertain you and earn some repeat spins. It isn’t going to change the world or draw much attention, but Ruthless can execute this select style pretty well and some of this stuff is playlist-worthy for sure. Give it a road test for old times’ sake. Stay ruthless, Sammy!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Fireflash Records
Websites: facebook.com/ruthlessmetal | ruthlessband.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: January 12th, 2024
