David Halbe 
I lamented these ‘lost bands’ and started writing about the same mainstream metal juggernauts everyone else did, all the while keeping my eye on the music scene, hoping some new group would revitalize my interest in the extreme.
Jumping back into the extreme music scene after Covid has been difficult. Live shows will always be an important part of metal’s formula for success and that aspect was suddenly out of the picture. I can’t imagine how much momentum was lost but when you combine that with the number of bands who folded around that time, it’s easy to understand how the landscape changed and why detractors were calling for metal’s demise.
It personally took me two years to get back into writing and by that time a lot of the bands I had my eye on broke up or no longer had their record deal. I lamented these ‘lost bands’ and started writing about the same mainstream metal juggernauts everyone else did, all the while keeping my eye on the music scene, hoping some new group would revitalize my interest in the extreme.
The trek seemingly came to an end this week when I discovered England’s Rituals. Since the band currently has no recording contract information about them is hazy but from what I can gather they’ve been at it since 2021 solidifying their lineup and perfecting their sound. The influences I found cited bands like: Decapitated, Depeche Mode and Killswitch Engage. In my mind, this diverse taste is what allows this band to stand out musically.
Rituals unveiled their debut EP, Awake, in 2021. They Followed this release with multiple festival appearances and sporadic touring around their country locally.
A new EP, Hope In Hatred (self-released), just hit the streets on November 7th and features 5 unforgiving tracks as well as a memorable appearance of Bury Tomorrow‘s vocalist, Tom Prendergast. I’ve listened to this release multiple times and the standout tracks for me are: “Breathless”, “Hope In Hatred” (Featuring Tom Prendergast) and “Deathwish”.
Rituals is a band worth your ear drums. Check out this new band and EP. Let the pummeling melodies, rhythmic hooks, lyrical anthems bring out the hatred within you! \m/
RITUALS is:
- Lewis MacRae – Vocals
- Ewan Lee – Guitars
- Dom James – Bass
- Matt Dix – Drums
