Ritual – March/April 2003
by Julian Mainprize
Who: Ritual
What: Alternative/Metal
Where: Cornwall, ON
To Contact: Ritual, www.RitualNet.com
The release of their self-titled CD last June was an epiphany of sorts for Cornwall, Ontario’s Ritual. The recording marked the band’s bold return from a three-year hiatus. Since then, Ritual has already seen a couple of songs off the new CD rise to the top of polls on well-known indie music Internet sites. The band has also had one song from the CD used in the American television series Witch Blade and another in a radio commercial for Pontiac. There is no doubt that metal is what lies at the core of Ritual’s music. The songs off the new CD feature well-pounded drums, unison of thumping bass and overdriven guitar, and vocals screamed to the point of natural distortion. It’s not difficult to believe that Helmet, Queens of the Stone Age and Black Sabbath share a dominant place on Ritual’s CD rack. Ritual’s self-titled CD was tracked using Steinberg’s Nuendo software at Distortion Studios in Ottawa, mixed at the Park Studios in Los Angeles and Mastered at Metalworks Studio in Toronto. The recording was essentially self-produced by the band members, with some help from their soundman and friends. One thing the band is considering doing differently next time around is to save some money by tracking songs themselves. The members of Ritual, Sean Harley, Jason Collis, Joel Labrosse and Daryl Kiviaho, handle all promotion and publicity for the band themselves. The success they have had in selling their music in innovative ways has proved the effectiveness of their methods.