Album Review: Ritual King - The Futureworks Sessions
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
Ritual King are one of those bands who never fail to impress me when I watch them perform live on stage and they get better each time, adding something new and different into their dynamic live performances. I’ve watched them several times over the last few years, most recently supporting the tremendous 1000mods at Gorilla in Manchester, so I grabbed this promo as soon as possible.
The trio are at their best when performing on stage, so the release of their first live album will spread their gospel far and wide, to those who’ve yet to enjoy them up close and personal. Released on the wonderful Ripple Music label, and recorded at Futureworks Studios in Manchester, it brings together seven tracks from their two studio albums, some of which have been staples of their live sets.
In this world of musical genres, people do like to push bands into certain pigeonholes, but Ritual King are hard to pin down. They are heavy psych, with big stoner rock riffs and smooth melodies combined with slick riffs that just flow so well. They have played alongside some of the greats like The Atomic Bitchwax and Nebula, and their journey begins with opener “Flow State” where you are instantly hypnotised by the melody as they lock in and crank it up, with a folk-esque progression that you’ll love.
The trio have been around since 2016, and they’ve evolved so much in that time. “Worlds Divide” is one of my favourite tracks to hear live as the drums are usually given a proper hammering alongside the big bass sound and huge riffs. This has an improvised solo midway that was “fuelled by approximately three hours of sleep and an ill-advised amount of coffee” but that’s exactly what this fly on the wall recording is all about, raw and undiluted.
This is followed by a jazzier song called “No Compromise” which is so smooth, it’s like a bar of Galaxy chocolate. This is them in all their glory, showcasing all the talents in turn whilst still maintaining that big sound they are known for. “Landmass” has that fuzzed out stoner feel to the guitar sound but manages to compose itself in sections and bring you back from the abyss. The mood changes again with “Headspace” as if you are being taken on a trip. You will find yourself getting lost in the undulating melodies so get ready for a ride, but it’s a ride that you’ll enjoy, nonetheless.
The beauty of this recording is that you are swept along by the emotion and authenticity of it all. It’s an immersive experience and you’ll feel that you are in the room with them, and for the ten minutes of “The Infinite Mirror” you are on a completely different level. You feel the mood and tempos twist and turn, yet there’s the soft gentleness of the beginning that gives way to a heavier outburst, with the beefed-up bass notes a joy to behold.
It all ends with another live favourite of mine, “Valleys”, which releases energy like a runner’s scientific gel bar. You can sense that they are giving it their all in this one and “there’s a jam section here that almost didn’t make the cut, because we weren’t sure we’d ever be able to recreate it”. It’s live, raw, unfiltered and captures a moment in time when everything just flowed like a fine wine.
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