Artist: Destruction Ritual
Country: France / USA
Label: End All Life Productions / Norma Evangelium Diaboli
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2025
Four years ago, Destruction Ritual presented their self-titled demo. That by itself may not be all too noteworthy, but it certainly caught my eyes as this was a new collective harboring vocalist MkM, most known for his work with Antaeus and formerly in Aosoth. With this new entity, that further is comprised of American guitar player Arafel and Necroblood and Impure Ziggurat member TerroReign, the band certainly captured part of MkM’s musical legacy, without sounding too literal like his other bands. A promising start, that was met with silence. To be honest, I didn’t see it coming that there was a full-length in the works. But as is custom with End All Life / Norma Evangelium Diaboli releases, here it is out of nowehere, the band’s first long player entitled ‘Providence’.
Perhaps instead of saying what ‘Providence’ is, it’s better to say what it’s not. It’s not as uniformly relentless and savage as Antaeus. it’s not as twisted, complex or ritualistic as Aosoth. It’s certainly not as gnarly and sinister as each of those bands. But that is not to say that these elements haven’t made their way onto ‘Providence’. Indeed, Destruction Ritual combines the sound of these two, but in a more dosed, staccato manner. In addition, there are clear riffs (and even leads) in the vein of ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’ and the Icelandic adopters like Svartidauði. But above all, Destruction Ritual allows room for, let’s call it beauty. In melody and melancholy, there is a certain refined soul in the songs that offers contrast to the darker passages.
‘Providence’ is a dynamically shifting album, in particular when it comes to pace and tension. Tracks like ‘Pride & Corrupted Dreams’, ‘Washed Away Sins’ and ‘Providence’ are rather volatile, shifting between aggressive bursts and leading melodies. With ‘Gone Days of Splendor’ the band instead opts for a longer, slower build-up, something that in atmosphere resembles Svartidauði’s ‘Flesh Cathedral’. The subsequent ‘Decaying Mask of Remorse’ comes closest to Aosoth, not in the least because the guitar strokes and samples remind me of the ‘Broken Dialogue’ tracks that were part of ‘IV: Arrow in Heart’. When the song bursts out of its trance, it does have a resemblance with Antaeus or even Funeral Mist, and even though the song remains shifting pace and mood, it is a rather compelling piece. A fitting title to end the record, ‘Closure’ is strongly rooted in 90’s Black Metal riffing, featuring relentless drum work by session drummer Blastum and so much of MkM’s typical commanding vocal style. On this record his vocals are slightly more covered in distortion and not as varied in range as on ‘De Principii Evangelikum’ or the early Aosoth albums, but undoubtedly very recognizable.
So what does Destruction Ritual offer? The recognisable dictating shrieks of MkM, the at times blasting Antaeus ferocity, a degree of Aosoth’s atmosphere and a more 90’s rooted sense of Black Metal melody. But am I entirely convinced? Honestly, I am just as much intrigued as I am undecided. I think it comes down to what you’re looking for, really. ‘Providence’ is less feral, but more versatile and dosed in aggression than Antaeus. It is less repetitive and atmosphere-building than Aosoth, but adds a realm of melody. Certainly, a fascinating record, but likely to cause mixed opinions. Just like the artwork for that matter.
