Brutalism

About two years ago now Hour Of 13 released one of the most memorable debut albums of the last 10 years which established them as one of the new leaders in occult-driven doom metal. "The Ritualist" not only is a great follow up to that album but in some ways, its even better through stronger production and doom tunes that are rich in catchiness. What sets the band apart from so many others in the doom metal scene is their total devotion to genuine sounds from the past, everything from Sabbath, Pagan Altar, Witchfinder General, Candlemass to more traditional heavy metal bands like Mercyful Fate and Judas Priest but make no mistake, this is doom metal in its purest form. It is great that the vocals of Phil Swanson are here, there was some talk it wasn't going to the be the case but thankfully they are on this album and he delivers a flawless performance. His voice may be one-dimensional but he has a natural charisma in his vocals that  offers a dramatic, emotional edge to the songs. The first thing that becomes clear is the guitar sound has been giving a extra boost of chunkiness on this album and the overall production is more polished than the debut offering.

The next thing that becomes obvious a few songs in, is this album has more variety in the song structures but the lyrical content remains the same. "The Gathering" kicks off the album in a psychedelic style with a guitar and organ sound straight out of the early 70's. "The Ritualists" puts the band into a pure plodding doom mode however but with great melody and a spacey atmosphere, this one of the more Sabbath inspired moments especially in the guitar department. "Naked Star" sees the band in a more chugging headbanging mood which summons up the classic sounds of Judas Priest but with a much more doomier edge. You have to keep in mind that Chad Davis plays all the guitars, bass and drums on this and its a seamless performance throughout the whole album. His bass and drum work may be a little basic but they still provide a solid driving force behind his incredible guitar work which shines more on here than it did on the debut, especially when it comes to solo's, there is more of them on "The Ritualist" than on the debut and they shred, kill, twist and turn.

"Demons All Around Me" is the most "Mercyful Fate" sounding track that the band has ever done with a multi-part arrangement, catchy riffs and a chilling chorus. As the album moves into the second half, it becomes more varied even though "Evil Inside", "Soldier of Satan" and "Possession" are still rich in Iommi worship riffing. The main riff in "Possession" sends a chill up the spine as not only is it heavy metal at its best but also reeks of the kind of class mostly only heard from supergroups of the 70's and early 80's. Just like all classic albums, they have to finish on a highpoint, a epic finale of sorts and Hour Of 13 do it on here with a track called "The Crawlspace". Like most of the songs on here, this one takes some unexpected twists and turns and also deliver classic riff after classic riff for all of its 9 or so minutes. A lot of bands are playing in this retro style these days but not many of them nail it quite like Hour Of 13 do on "The Ritualist". Totally old-school right down to the production while remaining seriously heavy, this album should gain a wide audience of thrilled listeners. The musical technical ability of the Chad Davis combined with the charismatic charm of Swanson's vocals makes this a all round winner. If you plan on buying just one retro-doom rock album this year, its hard to go past this one.