Artist: Ritual Hammer
Country: USA
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital Demo
Year: 2023
There is little background information to give you any guidance before you turn on ‘Demo 2023’ by Ritual Hammer. But this demo, so far only available as a digital stream, also blatantly needs no introduction, information or any framing whatsoever. The four-song-in-eight-minute demo does exactly what it was recorded for…
Their stripped-down musical take on everything that makes American Black/Death Metal so sordid and depraved is certainly not lacking in credibility. Musically, Ritual Hammer can be described as a hybrid of Demoncy, Profanatica, Goatlord, early Nunslaughter and Imprecation. With that, it falls in the middle between Black Metal and Death Metal, with some reference to the infamous Ross Bay Cult sound being obvious. Biggest difference from Blasphemy, for instance, is that Ritual Hammer has a slower pace, making a comparison with doomy Goatlord certainly appropriate. The sawing guitars (Burning Winds-style) are deeply tugged away in the sound and the thick reverbed vocals make this demo a very authentic experience. With that, the production of these recordings is the proverbial icing on the cake and makes this demo feel like it was snatched straight out of the 90’s. Only eight minutes in length, ‘Demo 2023’ delivers not only four more than decent songs, but also hope for those who like Black/Death Metal in this particular niche.
