UK death/doom outfit Atavist have reissued their 2007 album, II: Ruined, with a remastered and expanded 20th Anniversary Edition.

Formed in Manchester in 2004, the band recorded the original session at State of Art Studios in Bristol with producer Stu Matthews. The record stands as a landmark release in the UK underground sludge and doom scene, pairing crushing atmospheric weight and monolithic riffs with guest appearances from vocalist Rose Kemp and multi-instrumentalist Justin Greaves (Iron Monkey, Crippled Black Phoenix, Electric Wizard).

For the new edition, the material has been remastered from the original DAT tapes by Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios (Esoteric), preserving the oppressive nature of the initial tracking while updating the sound.

The expanded release brings together all material recorded during those 2007 sessions. The tracklist includes a cover of Grief’s I Hate The Human Race alongside the two tracks originally issued as the 2008 Alchemic Resurrection EP via Rise Above Records.

II: Ruined (20th Anniversary Edition) is out today across digital and physical formats.

photo credit: Dan Walmsley