This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned Ari Aster, nor will it be the last. The famed horror director, known for films like Hereditary and Midsommar, are refreshing in that they don’t necessarily rely on the classic jump scare to instill a sense of anxiety into the minds of audiences. There’s a lingering atmosphere to his works that hover around as Acts 1-3 ebb and flow, backed by character development and beautifully revolting cinematography. Musically speaking, death-doom is one genre I rely on to achieve similar vibes.
Doom and death, death and doom—whichever way you slice it—are perfect, quick descriptions of life, and obviously, the tunes spewing from creators of the gritty, uber-heavy subgenre of the similar name. Despite their dub, Ritual Ascension’s debut full-length, Profanation of the Adamic Covenant, descends below the surface and into earth’s molten core due to megatons of sonic mass—downtuned guitars, sub-80 BPM paces, deep, guttural vocals—you get it—the whole shebang. Much like other death-doom practitioners, think something like Spectral Voice and their horror thematic mastery; Ritual Ascension utilizes the atmospheres of the horror genre, which I know isn’t out of the ordinary for metal, to build the aesthetic and overarching tone of the record.
While I mentioned Spectral Voice earlier and their horror landscapes, the press materials for the album mentioned Temple Nightside and Grave Upheaval, and I’d say that’s an accurate representation as well. However, I can’t help but be reminded of something like Worm’s Bluenothing, minus its inclusion of lead-playing, or Foreverglade. So, maybe there’s some Evoken in there? The extra layers of sound effects in the back half of “Pillars of Antecedence” and portions of “Kolob (At the Throne of Elohim)” are prime examples. Production-wise, it fits the bill. On the tracks, each instrument plays an imperative role, and the result is an album that may come across as suffocating at times.
It wouldn’t be crazy to compare Ritual Ascension to Portal either, but in a more drawn-back manner, of course. Just as Portal relies on dissonance and other experimental noises to cultivate their whacky world of nightmares, Ritual Ascension does, too. Most of that comparison probably stems from “Kolob,” launching with a devilish whisper followed by a spine-numbing build-up to chaos at the halfway point. Throughout the 13-plus-minute track, the band delivers their most decisive and well-rounded moments on the record. With the tribal drum patterns and cacophonous riffing, it’s a recipe for disaster—in a good way.
Speaking of Portal, “Cursed Adamic Tongues” is the most primitive death metal construct on the album and just as visceral as something of the like off Swarth or Vexovoid. It probably helps that it’s the most bite-sized song, clocking in at just over five minutes. Nonetheless, it’s a nice break in pace, perfect for the album’s halfway point before the final two epics, eclipsing 23 minutes. In fact, and while I understand this can be the antithesis of many death-doom releases, Ritual Ascension does a nice job of pacing the album altogether. I never found myself watching the clock or waiting for a song to end. For the extreme music faithful, there’s a little bit of something for everyone.
Enjoyable, haunting, and downright heavy, Ritual Ascension has dropped onto the scene like an anvil from a B-52. Put simply, Profanation of the Adamic Covenant is a strong debut. If you’re into the griminess of contemporary, terrorizing death-doom or the more artsy approaches of something like Portal, this is right up your alley. Fun stuff. Or as fun and deathing and dooming can be.
