RITUAL

This is a reissue of Ritual's 1995 debut album (which originally came out on Musea) and is certainly interesting, with some songs very different to other material within the current prog scene. Some of that is due to the line-up and instruments being used as while Patrik Lundstr'm (vocals, electric/ acoustic guitars) is fairly straightforward (although it must be mentioned that among his many sins are fronting the pop trio Blond at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin in 1997), the rest of the band are Fredrik Lindqvist (bass, bouzouki, mandola, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, recorders tin whistles, vocals), Johan Nodrgen (drums, percussion, mallets, jew's harp, vocals) and Jon Gamble (keyboards, harmonica, vocals). This does mean that the listener isn't at all sure what the songs are going to be like, one to the next. Add a guest violinist among others and here is a band that really does want to be taken as being progressive, not 'regressive'.

Some of the songs are much closer to folk than anything else, while others just belt along and of course some do both. Patrik's vocals are very clear, and he is as much at home singing gently in 'The Way Of Things' or stretching out when the need is required. That song is a million miles away from 'Typhoons decide' which is far more complex and dynamic, with lots of movement between different styles

An album that progheads would do well to seek out. They are very different to the rest of the 'neo-prog' crowd and it is always good to hear a band that are trying to take prog into new directions.

originally appeared in Feedback #78, April 2004