May 2019 saw TesseracT's lead vocalist and songwriter release his debut solo album Castles, his first foray into a more pop rock electronic sound.
Ruins sees Tompkins rework Castles alongside producer Paul Ortiz (Chimp Spanner) showcasing re-written music with more aggression and a truer, darker tone. Castles was originally created by co-producer and friend Eddie Head (Haji’s Kitchen) and whilst the lyrical and conceptual side still represents the same ideas, the new version Ruins is significantly different to Castles with the addition of Tompkins’ signature aggressive versus clean vocal style. It was felt that renaming the album and each song was appropriate and aside from the lyrics, it is essentially a completely new album.
A diverse vocalist, Tompkins has established himself as a highly respected artist with a dedicated worldwide fanbase garnered from his work with the global progressive metal sensations TesseracT, Skyharbor and White Moth Black Butterfly. In addition, there is a new collaboration with percussive guitarist Jon Gomm (a recently-signed Kscope label mate) on his forthcoming album The Faintest Idea. His versatility as a vocalist and musician is showcased across all of these acts and also with his more accessible solo material.
Tompkins has confirmed he will be supporting the release of Ruins with his first solo live shows in 2021, already confirmed is the UK’s Radar Festival.
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