Rituals of the Oak - Hour of Judgement (NSP/Eyes Like Snow)
By Michael Ballue
January 1, 2010
Rituals of the Oak issued a very promising two track demo less than a year ago so this full length has been eagerly awaited by many in the doom community. Very well done straight up doom metal is always a welcome thing round the Hellride board and Hour of Judgement delivers just that over its entire length and without a trace of hesitancy or variation in quality.
“Hour of Judgement”, demo favorite, title track and full scale doom juggernaut, leads things off with a massive dose of doom purity. The slow, mournful and altogether metallic riffing of the guitar, the restrained punctuation of the percussion, the rhythmic/riff bridge of the bass and over it all the emotive yet restrained vocals of Sabine Hamad bring the doom in a very purified form. All elements slot in perfectly with each other and as is often the case with quality this release is well served by what is not there as well as by what is. The guitars are thick but not over the top, the bass solid and sure, but not immensely fat or crushing, the drums authoritative but not canonic and the vocals powerful, but not gut wrenching. Now before you take those all as negatives, harken to this fact: all together it has a mesmerizing power well served by the somewhat spartan and austere approach. This is more about not undermining purity with overindulgence than it is about deprivation. As the song progresses over it’s nearly thirteen minute length the hooks are sunk more and more deeply into the listener’s spirit. Everything serves the composition, from the guitar solo’s restraint to the vocal’s ebb and flow of power and there is a refreshing lack of individual indulgence, allowing the totality of the whole to slay relentlessly.
“Drown the Wood in Blood” is another demo track re-recorded and, as it was on the demo, a perfect companion piece to the title track. With increases across the board of tempo, groove and energy, this shows Rituals of the Oak to be far more than a one trick doom pony. It also further drives home that this is a band with the heart and sense to serve the material they have written. The guitar is at times here more in your face (very nice and nasty little pre-chorus fill especially) and the solo more searing and lengthy, which works perfectly for the song, kudos to Shane Linfoot for his work on this track. The vocals take on a slightly more forceful and commanding nature, fitting themselves seamlessly to one of the better set of witch burning lyrics spun out of the doom scene.
“Standing in the House of Suffering” needs but a fraction of a minute to show that the quality of the demo tracks was no fluke and that the well of doom is well full for Rituals of the Oak. The bass work of Nathaniel Smith on this one stands out in particular with a yeoman like shouldering of both rhythmic and melodic duties. Sabine’s vocals are a doom treasure, bringing to mind at times remembrances as diverse as Caroline Wilson, Kari Rueslatten and Mariana Holmberg, but the entirety of her performance solidifying her own identity, at once newly refreshing and familiar. “Childhood’s End” makes it four songs in a row that effectively carry a palpable sense of both sorrow and vastness. The doom purity factor is so high on all this material that it is all too easy to lose oneself in the power and somehow perceive the compositions as much more simple then they are. There is high level of maturity and attention to detail present in the songwriting that can be deceptive in the exact right way. Craftsmanship and artistry present as more simple than they really are, while ego and indulgence seek to hide their lack of substance in surface complexity.
Closer “The Spell of Doom” is another doom behemoth, a scant twenty something seconds shorter than the title track, and brings yet more facets in this doom diamond to the front, this time the ability to flawlessly pull off an extended mellow and moody section and then build back into hammering doom. Once more there is some really excellent guitar work, that excels both in the notes played and the restraint that frames those notes perfectly.
A work of professionalism and artistry that channels the spirit of doom relentlessly, this is an admirable debut from one of the best new talents in the genre.
Purchase Hour of Judgement in limited edition double vinyl and compact disc versions
Visit the Rituals of the Oak website at www.myspace.com/ritualsoftheoak
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