RITUALS OF THE DEAD HAND – The Wretched and the Vile

The crushing metal outfit sporting the wicked moniker Rituals of the Dead Hand recently unleashed a six-track torrent of harsh and cynical soundscapes that fall somewhere between doom metal, sludge, black metal, and even death metal at times. Does it work? You can bet your saggy ass that it works!

Compared to previous offerings, the trio appears a little more focused and energized here, meaning that there are less superfluous parts and that the ideas in general are much stronger and more interesting this time around. Loaded with punishing riffs, unsettling vocals, eerie keyboards, and drums capable of breaking your legs, these menacing tunes evoke an atmosphere that is as claustrophobic, oppressive, and disquieting as I had hoped they would be, and they keep things relatively concise too in that there are very few aimless or meandering passages to be found. It feels pummeling without being outright brutal but make no mistake; if you want plenty of rumbling low end frequencies from the dark and murky canyons of lives gone wrong then you have come to the right place. The production is organic, vibrant, and every bit as punchy as you can imagine, so all is well in that department. As to highlights, the hyper-intense and perversely gratifying ‘Wij, Hoeren van Lucifer’ ticks all the uncomfortable boxes from my perspective and is a sickening joy.

The Wretched and the Vile marks an improvement in the overall tone and style of the group’s sound and musical identity, and as I am firmly enjoying these brand-new pieces of hellish downheartedness and despair then I can only state that I welcome such change with open arms and that this doom-laden, pulverizing, and sufficiently varied slice of disconcerting metal is worth investigating and devoting proper time to as it definitely rewards the patient listener. The CD version and its accompanying layout and artwork look great and add an extra dimension to an already solid release.