EP Review: Grief Ritual – Spiritual Disease (Self Released)

Grief Ritual are a band sitting at a musical crossroads – caught between blackened metallic hardcore, post-metal, and the heavier, slower sides of black and death metal, Grief Ritual are as heavy and as miserable as their name suggests.

The UK quartet will release their debut EP Spiritual Disease on September 9th – the title – a metaphor for the despotic and tyrannical state of the world, and the mental illness caused by this.

There’s a real sense of excitement around Grief Ritual. A sense that this is a band about to break through that glass ceiling. A sense that once the world properly gets wind, few won’t be talking about them. The proof? This debut EP.

Now, lets get this out of the way first. This Grief Ritual is a band reborn. The Grief Ritual that we covered back in 2019 is dead (so to speak) and their earlier work is seen as demos now. Why? Because Grief Ritual have found their sound and what works for them. They have evolved into something truly awe-inspiring and a little bit terrifying.

Spiritual Disease is a triumph of a release. Not only because the five tracks are genre-defying but because it shows just how focused Grief Ritual are. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about the forward movement of this band and this EP features five damn good ones.

Call it metallic hardcore for simplicity but be under no illusion, those words can’t do the savage noise that Grief Ritual expunge here, justice. It’s a concoction of blackened intensity, ruthless death, feral hardcore and so much more. Drink it and you’re likely to vomit but there’s something so very morish about it. Keep on drinking. You’re addicted and you didn’t even realise it.

Cross the forceful heaviness and merciless detail with the honest and real subject matters and what we get is an EP of the year contender. Where Grief Ritual pull none of their punches when it comes to delivering devastation but have so much more than ‘inane’ heaviness to offer. Pick it apart, find the nuances, experience the layers, admire the detail and join the ever growing crowd that are realising there’s something very special about Grief Ritual.

Grief Ritual – Spiritual Disease Full Track Listing:

1. Dissolution
2. Immurement
3. Telluric
4. Atrophy
5. Pareidolia

Links

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