Ritual Mass – Cascading Misery

Cascading Misery is the debut Full-length record of US-based Death Metal quartet Ritual Mass; The so far magnum opus of the band, heralding of more to come if their current release schedule is anything to go by.

Having been around since 2016, the four members of the band have so far released a Demo, a Single and an EP prior to this album – And staying true to form, all six of the tracks present upon it are new compositions. No copies or holdovers from previous releases, something I will most definitely applaud.

Musically I hear the band compared to Incantation and Disembowelment in paarticular, putting them firmly into the modern Death Metal category (albeit with strong inspirational roots traceable back to their kinsmen Obituary). It is fast, it is dirty, deliberately kept simple in order to focus on the sheer anger and frustrations inherent in modern day christian mysticism – Which is the lyrical poison of choice for this particular Death Metal act.

Overall, I find Ritual Mass to be a very competent band, albeit at the same time a relatively new or even inexperienced one. Each of the six tracks encompass exactly what I envision when my mind on a rare occasion drifts off onto the modern Death Metal sound. Yet at the same time, I am having a hard time definitely pinning down the sound of the band – Instead it flows together with other, similar bands, making it harder for me to pin-point or even request any specific track from this album. And that is after spinning it three times in a row (which I will admit I enjoyed thoroughly in the moment).

All in all, a band to keep an eye on as I am sure they will only rise in presence and notoriety as they amass more of a following; Hopefully by adding more Full-lengths to their repertoire.

Six tracks, nearly forty-one minutes. Recommended for fans of the current US Death Metal scene.

https://ritualmass.bandcamp.com/music