Emma Ruth Rundle - These Killing Times (2026)
These Killing Times sounds bigger than Engine of Hell, but I do not think it is automatically better because of that. Bringing the band back gives Emma Ruth Rundle more range, more distortion and more movement, and that certainly helps after the extreme isolation of the previous record. Still, once the initial impact wears off, I am left with a set of songs that are more uneven than the production first suggests.
“Powerless” is a good opener. The piano-led restraint and heavier chorus create a clear dynamic arc, and this is one of the places where the full-band setup immediately earns its place. “God’s Picture” is more delicate, with a warmer build and more vocal space, but I remember the atmosphere more than the melody. Kerrang also emphasizes how the song grows gradually rather than relying on immediate heaviness.
“Anvil” is solid but less distinctive. The arrangement is detailed, the vocal performance is strong, and the darker spiritual tone suits Rundle, but it does not leave much of a trace once it ends. Then “Catherine Wheel” arrives and suddenly the album feels sharper.
The difference is rhythm. “Catherine Wheel” has a rolling groove, a memorable guitar lead and a slightly unstable forward motion that gives the song real personality. Atwood describes that loose, shuffling quality very well, and I think it is one of the few tracks where the arrangement and the songwriting are equally strong. The song does not need eight minutes or a huge final climax because the tension is already inside the groove.
“Don’t Delay Heaven” is atmospheric and well paced, but again I hear craft more clearly than necessity. “Enough” works better because it starts quietly and then genuinely changes shape, moving into much heavier and more dissonant territory. That transition gives the track a reason to exist beyond simply being another dark Rundle song.
“Human Kindness” is the obvious centrepiece at 8:24, and several reviews treat it as the album’s major statement. I understand why. The scale, fuzz, vocal layers and gradual development are impressive. But I also think it is slightly overrated. I admire the construction, yet I do not feel all eight minutes are equally necessary, and the melodic core is not as memorable to me as “Catherine Wheel.”
“Oceans of Time” is a good closer because it does not try to compete with the previous track. At 2:22, it feels like a small release of pressure rather than another climax.
What works best across the album is contrast. Rundle can move from piano-led restraint to doom weight, from near-whispered vocals to much larger choruses, and the band gives her far more dynamic range than the previous record. Pitchfork is right that the album feels more alive and more communal.
What holds it at 66 is that I do not find the songwriting consistently memorable enough. There are good songs here, but several depend heavily on texture, performance and production to create their impact. When those elements are stripped away, not every melody or structure remains equally strong.
“Catherine Wheel” is the clear peak because it has groove, melody and tension without needing to overstate anything. The album is well made and often powerful, but I hear the arrangements more consistently than the songs themselves.
Genre: Slowcore
Country: US
Final Verdict: 66% (Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 209th / 708
Highlight: Catherine Wheel
Made me think of:
Chelsea Wolfe
A.A. Williams
Marissa Nadler
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