Ruins is a Japanese music duo composed only of drummer/vocalist Tatsuya Yoshida and a bass guitarist (there have been four such bassists in the band's history).
[2] The French progressive rock band Magma is the group's most important influence, to such an extent that Ruins' original lyrics are written and sung in an invented language which, at first glance, resembles Kobaïan, the language invented by Christian Vander of Magma.
[3] Ruins' material (which Yoshida, who composes the majority of their pieces, writes out in score form) is generally of extreme complexity and thus is often described as inaccessible; potential listeners may be bewildered by the band's unrestrained yet disciplined approach.
That said, Ruins' style has consistently evolved since the band's beginning, often changing according to the bassist that Tatsuya was collaborating with at the time.
Ruins have collaborated with several other musicians, including prominent avant-garde figure Derek Bailey,[4] auteur guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Keiji Haino, and Ground Zero alumnus Kazuhisa Uchihashi.