THE RITUAL FIRES OF ABANDONMENT

The Ritual Fires Of Abandonment is, in my opinion, one of the better releases of this year from its respective musical camp. They play an atmospheric sludge (literally) that's oozing with psychedelic flavors and tribal themes. It's certainly the most psychedelic album I've heard from these guys and their peers which gives the music a new and interesting twist.

Minsk doesn't seem to like being tamed and sublte and it can be shown in their entire discography. These guys are so immense, not only because of its crunchy sludgy riffs, but because of the overall atmosphere present in the album. Their sound in the longer songs isn't completely dominated by guitars and that's a good thing since they only use them when their style demands it making these parts more special and appreciated. So lets look at it this way: this album won't kick you in the nads from the minute it starts, instead it lures you into the back of the building where there's a whole gang waiting to beat you up!, and with the album being quite psychedelic in nature then you can probably guess what was the lure made of... A perfect example of what I'm trying to say is the opener, "Embers". There's hazy, druggy mood throughout the album, but it never sounds empowering and it always comes second to their stormy atmosphere. The shorter songs are more delicate and only one of those songs is punchy and to the point. The drumming is mainly responsible for the tribal mood of the album, but the song which excels in this is "Ceremony Ek Stasis" which is the highlight of the album and also showcases some crazy saxophone lines that adds alot to the atmosphere of the song. The rest of the songs on this album share the same kind mood, they're most certainly heavy, sludgy and a bit more fast paced than other atmospheric sludge bands.

Like I already said, Minsk's sound is massive. They share more similarities in their sound with doom metal than the post-rock genre so don't expect any tear-jerking moments here or tender emotional guitar play. This is as heavy, menacing and bleak as any other sludge / doom metal band around with acid tranced moments to keep things interesting. If you're a fan of bands like Isis, Neurosis, Cult Of Luna and others in the similar vein then you'll enjoy Minsk's take on the genre.

The Ritual Fires of Abandonment is the second album from US, Illinois based experimental/ post metal act Minsk. The album was released on Relapse Records who must be considered one of the leading record companies when it comes to signing experimental metal bands ( Mastodon, Cephalic Carnage, Nile...etc.).

Allthough Minsk probably kneel at the altar of Neurosis before they go to bed at night there´s much more to their music than just being a clone of the masters. What leads my thoughts to Neurosis is the extremely heavy guitars and slow pace, but especially the almost tribal drumming which dominates the album. A band like Pelican also comes to mind because of the melodic touch and the long slow building almost post rock like parts which are also a big part of the album. The psychadelic side of their music is mostly created by the monotenous ( which is a positive thing in my world) haunted vocals and especially the clever use of synth.

The music is very atmospheric and I really enjoy the dark and haunted mood that Minsk create. There are six songs on the album. Three shorter songs ( about 4-5 minutes each) and three longer songs ( about 13-15 minutes each). The album starts with the 13:48 minute long Embers which sets the mood of the album. Slow building ( but never boring), heavy and psychadelic. White Wings is next and it´s one of the shorter songs on the album. It´s also the most heavy metal influenced song on the album, or rather post hardcore/ metal. White Wings is also the most uptempo song on the album ( It´s mid-pace while most other songs are slow). Mescaline Sunrise is as the title suggests a psychadelic atmospheric track. A mood creator. A pleasant listen after the harsh White Wings. It´s the shortest song on the album with it´s 4:43 minutes. Then on to The Orphans of Piety which is a 14:41 minute long track. Challenging atmospheric post metal. What a great song. It even has a saxophone part which reminded me a bit of how Ulver sounded on Perdition City (2000). Circle of Ashes is almost in Post rock style and kind of a calm before the storm that is the ending 15:39 minute long Ceremony EK Stasis. It´s such a powerful and varied track. Very dynamic with both loud heavy parts and mellow post rock parts. There´s even a kind of latin inspired section with another saxophone part.

The musicianship is excellent. The very basic instrumentation of guitar, bass and drums are done in a way that suggests that more people are playing. Minsk really have the ability to sound grand. The vocals by Tim Mead are very strong wether it´s his normal vocals or his more raw side that shows. Note that there are nothing that resembles growling on this album. The aggressive vocal parts are just angry vocals not growls.

The production is excellent. I especially noted the drum sound which I found very enjoyable but everything sounds great IMO.

The Ritual Fires of Abandonment have the advantage that it should appeal to both post metal and post rock fans. It´s heavy but I´m sure that most post rock fans will find it sophisticated enough to enjoy as well. I´ve had this album lying around for quite a while without really giving it a chance and that´s such a shame because it deserves lots of attention and praise IMO. That error is fortunately corrected now. 4 stars is well deserved and I count on great things from Minsk in the future. Fans of bands like Neurosis, Isis, Pelican, Cult of Luna and other related acts should invest in this album. I´m sure you´ll have yourself a positive surprise. I know I did.