Veuve haute qualité par Rituel [CD]

Tracks:
Widow
Come to the Ritual
Rebecca
Never for Evil
Morning Star
Journey
Burning
Temptation
Forever
House of Secrets
Into the Night

Performer Notes:

• The events surrounding the creation of Rituals first album, 1983s Widow, read like a true comedy of errors, including lengthy release delays, poor recording conditions, and a botched manufacturing run that left a quarter of the 2,000 units pressed missing the bands logo, thus leading many to believe the groups name was also Widow. Needless to say, the resulting confusion effectively stunted the bands career and condemned the album to cult status until 25 years later, when a CD reissue through Shadow Kingdom Records made reviews like this one possible. It is therefore quite fitting that the sounds of thunder and torrential rain streaked across many songs here imbues Widow with a sullen ambience equal to its lengthy spell in suspended animation. The sounds of gale force winds introduced the opening title track, which rolls along on a strutting bassline reminiscent of Black Sabbaths "Heaven and Hell" before eventually accelerating to a gallop that will feel more familiar to Rituals biggest target audience: New Wave of British Heavy Metal enthusiasts. Yet, ironically, the albums decidedly lightweight production made it impossible for more energetic metallic stompers such as "Never for Evil" and "Journey," as well as surprisingly catchy hard rockers like "Temptation" and "House of Secrets," to compete with the more powerful, in-your-face guitar sounds attained by the likes of Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, or Saxon. So it is arguably the slower, doom-laden offerings that provide Widows most interesting moments, as they follow the title cuts aesthetic lead by walking through the fog-laden forest, past the cemetery gates, and into haunted mausoleums to unearth some musical ghosts of days gone by -- much like retro-minded contemporaries Pagan Altar and Witchfinder General. These ghostly sances included "Morning Star" (complete with tolling bells), "Burning" (featuring perhaps the albums best riff), and "Rebecca," which contained an intriguing acoustic guitar coda from idiosyncratic bandleader Gypsy Re Bethe. So as long as listeners dont come into it expecting a hits-filled album, or a Mutt Lange production job, theres no reason to quibble with Rituals strangely captivating brand of underground metal; making Widow a welcome reissue for surveyors of the N.W.O.B.H.M.s seemingly endless stores of music. [Shadow Kingdoms CD reissue also includes the non-album single, "Into the Night" -- a concise rocker recorded by the group in 1981.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Format: CD (1 Disc)

Country: USA

Studio/Live: Studio

Release Date: 3 August, 2018

Label: High Roller Records