“Punishingly heavy yet capable of immense emotional range, My Ruin have carved a unique niche for themselves in the metal world but what sets them firmly apart from the horn-throwing hordes is far more than an infamous fondness for Catholic kitsch and biblical imagery; truly unreplicable is the chemistry between front woman Tairrie B Murphy’s startling lung power, passion and lyrical flair, and guitarist husband Mick Murphy’s knack for rumbling, earth-shuddering riffage.”
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Alison Bateman, LONDON TOUR DATES
“The return of the killer B! As ever, rich and bloody Catholic imagery clashes explosively with nihilistic, non-believing despair. Ghosts And Good Stories may well be the most intense experience of the year.”
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Emma Johnston, CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE
“Trimmed to a two piece (consisting of Tairrie and her multi-instrumentalist husband Mick Murphy), My Ruin create an abrasive, sludgy noise, punctuated by moments of melody and calm. It's stark, confrontational and aggressive, but also fiercely intelligent, ensuring the duo stay one step ahead of the screaming angst-ridden pack. 4/5 ”
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Paul Travers, KERRANG MAGAZINE
“Opening track ‘Diggin’ For Ghosts’ is classic My Ruin; a strident slide and a thunderous chord introducing a sinister and slow-burning groove that was made for heads to nod to. Before long, that voice snakes through the riff like tendrils of smoke between old stonework; Tairrie’s venomous whisper splintering into a husky croon, restrained until the inevitable climax where she unleashes her familiar raw-throated scream for the first time. It’s an instant standout that demonstrates a welcome return to the My Ruin of old; dark and aggressive, with no frills and no pretense. 4/5”
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Dani Hawkins, ONE METAL.COM
“Another release that slipped under the radar a bit this fall is the new album from MY RUIN. Led by the indomitable Tairrie B. Ghosts and Good Stories is among the finest work of her career. Tairrie’s scorching scream and acid laced words have been making an impact for over 20 years and she is one of the most consistent and enduring vocalists in metal and rock history. Grade A”
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Keith Chachkes, METAL ARMY.COM
“The divine Tairrie B and multi-instrumentalist maestro Mick Murphy are one hell of a hard rock/heavy metal duo. Together the pair are the blood, sweat and tears- the unholy embodiment that is My Ruin. If you’ve never heard of them, then you haven’t been diligent in your underground digging. My Ruin was born of the “Patron Saint of Blasphemy”- the one and only, Miss Tairrie B back in 1999. And now, ten years later, through hell and high water, they have proven to be not only alive- but resilient as ever![A]”
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Stephanie Davison , DETRITUS MAGAZINE
“Ghosts and Good Stories' bring us Pantera attitude, Sabbathesque seventies poison, dirt southern touch, and hardcore pride. So, from the opening attack of 'Diggin For Ghosts' and along other dozen tracks, My Ruin simply rules. And, for the happiness of their fans, they are back with the right dose of high-handedness packing in one of the most sincere, shouted loud, sexual and intense records of this year. Don't miss it! 8/10”
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Simone Sacco , METAL HAMMER - ITALY
“Ghosts and Good Stories is gracefully bone-chilling, filled with teeth-chattering terror, and leaves your unworthy soul melted in a puddle on the floor. A masterpiece! 10/10
”
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Sara Heitman, BLISTERING.COM
“My Ruin have mutated into something truly monstrous in recent years, as the chemistry between Tairrie B and Mick Murphy has evolved and sprouted wicked wings. Ghosts And Good Stories picks up where 2008’s Throat Full Of Heart left off, with an exhilarating barrage of warped stoner metal riffs and blister-razing gutter-punk. 8/10”
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Dom Lawson, METAL HAMMER - UK
“As is the norm now, wailing Sabbathy riffs and Down-esque grinding metal pepper the material the pair have created with head-pounders like Malediction best summed up as loud and riffy as fuck. ”
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Graham Finney, PLANET-LOUD.COM
“Murphy has long been regarded as an unsung guitar hero by those in-the-know. Perhaps best described as possessing an Angus Young-meets-Tony Iommi style of shred, he puts in a raw wall-to-wall performance on Ghosts And Good Stories that will appeal to both the no-nonsense rock and aggression-happy metal masses. His diversity as a player shines through on the new record more than on any other My Ruin album.”
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CARL BEGAI.COM
“Mick Murphy puts most musicians around today to shame, being responsible for playing not only the guitar parts that got him recognized as being one of the most underrated guitar players ever, but also the bass AND the drums on the entire record.”
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Lynsey Wright, THRASH HITS
“What is My Ruin like? Some heavy riffs with a rock n roll and metallic sound at the same time. The band could be placed between the gasoline guzzling southern rock movement and Motörhead.”
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RADIO-METAL.COM
“The First lady of metal continues to scream her heart out! As the singer and figurehead of Manhole and Tura Satana in the 90's Tairrie B was among the first to channel screaming metallic rage through a female perspective. As 'Ghosts and Good Stories' brooding opener 'Diggin for Ghosts' gives way to the furious 'Long Dark Night' and the vocalist gives vent to her inner demons, it's clear she's not mellowing with age. 4/5”
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Paul Travers, KERRANG MAGAZINE
“From the start when Tairrie hit the stages with Manhole, she was considered to be one of the best front women in the metal scene. Some years later now and My Ruin brings with ‘Ghosts And Good Stories’ their sixth studio album. In the meantime, Tairrie and Mick were married, but this doesn’t mean that the couple have become more mellow. Quite the contrary, the drive on the record is simply stunning. The mix of American powercore, metal and thrash keeps you on your feet from the beginning to the end. 6/7!
”
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Peter Rotthier, MINDVIEW MAGAZINE
“Every song on GHOSTS & GOOD STORIES brings something new. Tairrie shatters the proverbial glass ceiling with an assassin’s tongue, chastising many of society’s ugly features and Mick complements it by creating a profusion of musical pizzazz. It’s an album that demands your attention and keeps you fully engaged from start to finish. Amen to that![A]”
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Stephanie Davison , DETRIUS MAGAZINE
“Ghosts And Good Stories is a perfect ode to the kind of grimy, smoke rock the band trade in.
”
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Darren Taylor, ROCKSOUND MAGAZINE
“A dark and twisted return to form from the queen of anti-pious poetry.”
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Joy Lasher, TERRORIZER MAGAZINE
“My Ruin have no interest in delivering antiquated chills and thrills. Instead Mick Murphy delivers a Southern-tinged, Sabbath-y guitar assault, over which Tairrie rails against religion, more religion and, most succinctly, the current crop of vapid female pop singers! 7/10”
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Kirk Miller, DECIBEL MAGAZINE
“With the aid of uber talented and were-not-worthy style appraisal it is Mick Murphy that provides the unbreakable backdrop of technical melodies and licks that every musician on the planet wants to aspire to. He also plays every other instrument as well as co-producing it with Josh Lynch which is testament to the trust and musical wavelength he is on with Tairrie.”
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Nickie Hobbs, DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE
“The mix of American powercore, metal and thrash keeps you on your feet from the beginning to the end. Opener ‘Diggin For Ghosts’ sets the mark for the remainder of the album: a heavy sound with poetical yet tough lyrics of Tairrie.This combination of aggressive vocals and soft spoken interludes works wonderfully and finds its climax in the closing love song 'Deathknell'.”
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Peter Rotthier, MINDVIEW MAGAZINE
“They are a band rooted in rock n’ roll, yet also have been baptized in the brimstone of the devilishly wicked underworld of heavy metal. Tairrie is all over the vocal spectrum- she shreds and screams with utmost ferocity, giving metal elites a run for their money. And then she brings us back down into a somber chasm, where her harrowing spoken-word style pierces you through the heart, communicates to your soul, and chills you to the bone. Mick Murphy impressively plays every instrument on the album-the drums, bass and guitar. The man must live and breathe music, because the album is put together so seamlessly and professionally.[A]”
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Stephanie Davison , DETRIUS MAGAZINE
“Tairrie was one of the first female vocalists to sing in this particular and innovative style [early 93] within the metal scene however, it’s rare to hear someone quote her name as an influence within the metal scene. She was the first to shout her lyrics like this, to make girls at ease to give it a try but no one gives her credit for that. 8/10”
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Hugo Countinho, CREEPY INSIGHT.COM
“Murphy is easily one of the most underrated guitarists around, channelling Angus Young, Tony Iommi and Zakk Wylde as the mood requires, sometimes all in the same song. The man isn’t afraid of laying down riffs and solos, and his aggressive playing style is refreshingly melodic rather than tedious-trendy, putting to death any further discussion of whether My Ruin belongs in a box marked “emo” or placed in metaldom’s good graces.”
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Carl Begai, BRAVE WORDS BLOODY KNUCKLES
“With a title like Ghosts And Good Stories, try and avoid listening to this album in a dark room but do listen to it with the stereo cranked up to an ear-bleeding volume. However you choose to listen to this marvelous piece of work, be warned, by the time the haunting Deathknell brings the curtain down on this album, you’ll have just spent the last hour experiencing the true beauty of horror. ”
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Graham Finney, Planet-Loud.Com
“To understand My Ruin you have to understand frontwoman Tairrie B.’s history. You’d be hard pressed to find a current female metal vocalist that doesn’t list Tairrie B. as an influence. And when I say female vocalists, I’m not talking about that Epica and Nightwish operatic crap either. I’m talking about metaphorical balls to-the-wall, blood curdling vocals that sound as though they originated in the pits of hell.”
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Jen Rochester, THE NEW REVIEW
“Slow and tragic, holding onto pain, this expression of anguish is also apparent in "Excommunicated," which also dips into spoken word. Tairrie's prolonged scream of agony will continue to reverberate in your mind. "La Ciudad" holds a similar shape, while simultaneously sounding intimidating, and we realize that Tairrie's voice could easily be placed in a lounge, atop a piano, coated in a smooth layer of southern whiskey. 10/10”
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Sara Heitman, BLISTERING.COM
“My Ruin had found its balance. Murphy keeps a close eye on the powerful sound, with Tairrie screaming, singing and whispering her real life vocals in the microphone. From the start when Tairrie hit the stages with Manhole, she was considered to be one of the best front women in the metal scene. ”
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Peter Rotthier, MINDVIEW MAGAZINE
“Ms. B’s performance is always in your face. Her full-on screech was second to none before Pro-Tools screwed up the industry, and her performance on Ghosts And Good Stories (‘Excommunicated’, ‘Suicide Tuesday’, ‘Abusing The Muse’) serves notice to lovelies like Maria Brink (In This Moment) and Candace Kucsulain (Walls Of Jericho) that delivery is everything. And in this case, brutally effective.”
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Carl Begai, BRAVE WORDS BLOODY KNUCKLES
“Tairrie may still intensely sing a tune of broken LA, betrayal, loyalty, love, friendship with a topping of JD, hard rock and self awareness but this time she sounds as venomous as ever (yes the levels seem to rise with each release!) and her throat seems to have healed of old wounds letting her scar it all over again with this album offering.
”
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Nickie Hobbs, DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE
“
The ripping, doom-laden, stoner-drenched metal that is underpinned by driving drums on this album is accompanied by Tairrie’s smoky, sexy vocals and vitriolic screams that My Ruin are so revered for.
”
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Lynsey Wright, THRASH HITS
“Misogyny. Politics. Religion. Sexism. Vanity. Misanthropy. It’s all in My Ruin’s sixth full length album, Ghosts and Good Stories. And true to form, vocalist Tairrie B. (Murphy) is at the helm, leading the revolution with her brutal assault.”
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Jen Rochester, THE NEW REVIEW.NET
“This is a powerhouse of an album. It packs a lot of power both vocally and musically
which is what My Ruin has always done well. 4/5
”
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Mike Grey, SOUNDSPHERE MAGAZINE
“Before there was Otep, In This Moment, The Agonist and countless other bands with aggressive sounding female vocals, there was Tairrie B.”
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Tony Cannella, FEMME METAL.NET
“There is a thrilling solo in every song by Mr. Mick Murphy. Each one is unique and amazing in its own way. However, the song where the solo personally strikes a nerve is in "Malediction." Here, he shreds the kind of solo that makes you turn to your neighbor with a look of surprise and mouth the words, "Holy shit." At least, that's what I did! 10/10”
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Sara Heitman, BLISTERING.COM
“The divine Ms B comes roaring back under the radar and proudly against the grain. Easily the filtiest, heaviest and most exciting thing that Tairrie has put her scream to.”
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Dom Lawson, METAL HAMMER - UK
“This collection of beautifully told stories that unwind and unravel before our ears has plenty of bark and a bite to match. Ghosts and Good Stories is an onslaught from start to finish that doesn’t let up; there’s no room for fluff, no room for floundering and certainly no room for questions. My Ruin are pioneers of their own brand of metal that amalgamates so many different styles it can’t be pigeonholed or categorised.
”
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Lynsey Wright, THRASH HITS
“
Ghosts and Good Stories vocals and riffs are full of power, an intense delivery from an experienced alternative metal band. 8/10
”
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Hugo Countinho, CREEPY INSIGHT.COM
“My Ruin’s sixth official full length album – is their strongest outing since A Prayer Under Pressure Of Violent Anguish from 2000. On the musical front ‘Ghosts And Good Stories’ surpasses everything the band has done thus far.
”
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Carl Begai, BRAVE WORDS BLOODY KNUCKLES
“Tairrie’s vocals pack an enormous punch and she leaves most growling, shouting male vocalists in the dust! 4/5”
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Mike Grey, SOUNSPHERE MAGAZINE
“The songs on "Ghosts and Good Stories" offer a huge shot of adrenalin to the listener. The CD begins with the moody "Diggin’ For Ghosts" a fine opener that shows the diversity this band is capable of. Forget everything you know or have heard about My Ruin. Just pop "Ghosts and Good Stories" into your CD player and let it rip!
”
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Tony Cannella, FEMME METAL.NET
“Ghosts and Good Stories their sixth volume literally has to be their most unified, binding, creative, epic whirlwind of pure velocity to date, fact.
”
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Nickie Hobbs, DEVOLUTION MAGAZINE
