RiTual
In the
right place at the wrong time?
RITUAL - RITUAL,
1995 CD (Musea)
1. Wingspread 5:48
2. The Way Of Things 3:35
3. Typhoons Decide 5:19
4. A Little More Like Me 5:17
5. Solitary Man 8:11
6. Life Has Just Begun 3:34
7. Dependence Day 4:45
8. Seasong For The Moominpappa 7:35
9. You Can Never Tell 4:49
10. Big Black Secret 6:56
11. Power Place 4:57
Patrik Lundström
Lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
Fredrik Lindqvist
Bass guitar, bouzouki, mandola, mandolin, hammered dulcimer,
recorders, tin whistles, vocals
Johan Nordgren
Drums, percussion, mallets, jaws-harp, vocals
Jon Gamble
Keyboards, harmonica, vocals
Homepage : http://w1.865.telia.com/~u86508928/home/home.htm
There is, perhaps, no more overused phrase in the world of Prog
than "Lost Classic" -- or its usually slightly more
accurate first cousin, "Undiscovered Classic." Usually
these terms refer to some twenty to thirty year old album that
has been lost in the mists of time…if it was ever found in
the first place. All of which begs the question of whether a
largely overlooked debut album by a current band can qualify for
either label
Ritual's eponymous debut album just might. Consisting of eleven
songs, all of which are quite good, the album features a superb
fusion of disparate musical influences. The resulting sound is a
unique and wicked brew that is far more than the sum of its parts.
The Swedish band -- which is currently at work on a third album (projected
for release in early 2002) - had the misfortune of coming out in
the right place at the wrong time. Today, Sweden may well be
ground zero of Prog's Third Wave, offering the Prog world The
Flower Kings, Anekdoten and Ayreon, among others. But in 1995, it
was not so.
While the first Ritual album was greeted upon its release by some
good reviews, virtually no one noticed them outside of (1) Sweden
and (2) the Classic Rock Society of Rotherham (the band's home
away from home). With the internet yet in its infancy and the
European live-music scene long gone, there was simply no one
there to hear it -- which is really too bad. It is a great album
that richly deserves an audience.
Ritual's sound is, to a large extent, defined by the vocals of
Patrik Lundström - a cross between Freddie Mercury and Michael
Hutchence -- and the powerful, driving bass work of Fredrik
Lindqvist who is reminiscent of Discipline-era Tony Levin. The
overall impression is of a sound that lies somewhere between King
Crimson, Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin, with the occasional hint
of Rush, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and grunge creeping in around
the edges. And yet - unlike so many Neo and Third Wave bands -
listening to Ritual is not an anoraky exercise in spot-the-influence:
"Ooooh, that lick was soooo Steve Howe!" and "Didn't
that sound like Genesis." The references are there, alright,
but they define not the limits of the band's sound, but the
jumping off points.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the album is that it is
uniformly good. There is not a clunker of a track on the CD --
and there are plenty of highlights. From the bass-driven pure
power of the opening track, "Wingspread" to the Yes-tinged
"Power Place" (which is what Yes would have sounded
like on the songs where Jon Anderson floats off into the ether if
Chris Squire had bitch-slapped him back in line) every single
song is strong.
Perhaps the highlight of the album is the brilliant "Big
Black Secret." The song starts with Jon Gamble's Wakeman-like
piano work before climbing onto an evolving, emotional roller
coaster. The song is a powerhouse. And it is Ritual at its best:
Lundström dramatic, accentless English vocals out front with
Lindqvist's bass shaping the sound and driving the pace, Gamble's
keyboards adding depth and texture, and Johan Nordgren (more
Bonham-like then Bonham) convincing the world that he never met a
crash cymbal he didn't like. But it is Lundström's guitar work
that provides the song's final surprise breaking into percussive
bursts of heavy power chords that would have been equally at home
on a Tool album or in Scandinavian Death Metal. Strange? Not
really. A surprising -- even enlightening -- juxtaposition? Yes.
But it works.
Which is exactly what is so exciting about this album. Ritual
tries so many different things, all of which come off. Whether it
strikes the ear initially as a bit of Yes, a bit of Rush, a bit
of Tull, or Tool, the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Death Metal, in
the end there really are two things to say about it: (1) it works,
and (2) it is Ritual. At the end of the day Ritual achieves
something that bands rarely ever achieve on their first offering:
their own sound.
Now, if they can only find an audience.
Michael Gardiner July 2001
Copyright Bathtub of Adventures 2001
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