Hour of 13 -
The RitualistReviewed by Andy "Dinger" Beresky (www.StonerRock.com)
Eyes Like Snow
Available Now
Hour of 13's s/t debut established them as a real contender within the true and occult doom traditions, and it was one of my favourite debut's from recent years. A big part of it was the opening track, "Call To Satan", which just immediately calls to mind all that is great about NWOBHM era doom. It's total Pagan Altar worship, and yet they immediately put their stamp on it, and established their own sound.
So I've got to lead off by saying that I was disappointed when the needle first hit the wax on the
The Ritualist, as the opener here, "The Gathering", isn't of the same caliber. The good news is that it doesn't try to be; it's more of an introduction to the album as a whole, and it works well in that context, especially considering that this is an album that gets better and better the deeper into it you get. By the time I hit side two, my initial disappointment was erased, and there was no doubt in my mind that they had topped their debut.
When they announced awhile back that Phil Swanson was no longer going to be handling the vocals, I'll also admit that I was disappointed, as his voice is a lot of what makes the debut so instantly classic. I heard the tracks with the new singer, and liked them, but it just didn't have the same magic. Needless to say that I was overjoyed when it was announced that he would be rejoining for the follow up, and once again, he delivers one flawless performance after another. His vocals are dramatic, powerful, and emotional, but they always fit the song and never get too over the top.
The rest of the performances are also great, but most noteworthy is that the guitars are beefed up. It's the same classic 80's guitar tone, but there are a lot more things going on overdub and solo wise. That was my one beef with the debut, that there weren't leads and solos on every track. That's not a problem here, some of these solos are totally off the hook, and well placed lead passages accentuate key parts of the songs. Well done indeed.
The songs themselves are a bit more varied than on the debut. The Judas Priest influence is more prominent on some songs, and in my book that's a good thing. "Naked Star" really nails that 80's Priest sound, and yet is still totally evil. "Demons All Around Me" was a song they previewed earlier, and it's a keeper. It's similar to the first album, and it's extremely catchy. The second side is where they go for the throat, as the songs are about as doom as you can get, just totally oppressive and evil. Lyrically, there's some pretty grim subject matter going on, and that's all I'm going to say on that matter. Musically, they get all over the map on side two. The songs really travel and take some unexpected turns, and that's something that also wasn't there on the debut, which featured mostly straightforward arrangements. The final song, "The Crawlspace", is right on par with "Call To Satan" or any of the other strong tunes from the first abum.
All in all, there's no way this won't be in my top ten of the year. It's not quite as immediate as the first album, as it's not as top heavy with the best songs stacked near the front of the album, it's an album that takes a bit more getting into, and gets better and better the deeper you get into it. This is one of the best takes on the classic heavy metal sound, for fans of Judas Priest, Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar, Angel Witch, and pretty much all things good from that era. Highly recommended.
URL: http://www.myspace.com/hourof13doom
