As a drummer, The first thing to grab me about RITUALS is the beat. A song can have the tastiest riff in the world. But if there isn’t a tight groove behind it, it’ll still leave me flat. I love how the rhythm drives these songs. While the gain is definitely cranked on the guitars and singer Tim Vester bears an uncanny vocal resemblance to Richard Patrick, this band is hardly some kind of Filter knock-off.
RITUALS hits the ground running and never lifts its foot from the pedal. Industrial elements permeate the recording but never stand in the way of heavy riffs, all while remaining curiously digestible.
The Snowbeasts’ remix of Symptoms takes the listener into dancefloor territory while Static Logic’s Psychotropic remix is the most experimental, as it delves into sound collages and fragmented voice samples. The Witch Eyes remix hits like a punch to the jaw that’ll knock your teeth out.
Best enjoyed at full volume, the visceral edge of these songs appealed to the headbanger in me. There is a metal crossover appeal here, but don’t let that fool you. RITUALS works on more than one level.
https://warmgadget.bandcamp.com/album/rituals
https://snowbeasts.bandcamp.com
https://staticlogic.bandcamp.com
https://witcheyes.bandcamp.com