Formation Ritual - Doors To The Dead (Album Review)

 

Release Date: September 14th 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD/Cassette

Doors To The Dead - Tracklisting

1.Waning Light 03:55

2.Sun Chariot Intro 00:44

3.Sun Chariot 06:11

4.Bog Bodies 04:30

5.Son of the Eastern Plains 07:00

6.Cuneiform 04:29

7.Copper Axe 05:42

8.Dawn Goddess 05:46

Members

Jason Tapia - Vocals, guitar, synth

Rob Black - Bass

Kelly McGovern - Drums

Review:

Doors To The Dead is the new album from Psychedelic Stoner Metallers Formation Ritual and sees the band fully cross over to the realm of full on Doomed Out Metal compared to their 2022 debut album The Shifting Dust. Adding a more abstract gloomier progressive feel with elements of trippy Post based Weirdness that allows Formation Ritual bringing the classic 70’s Doom Metal visions to modern day WEEDIAN audiences who like their music a bit more spaced out and full of sllghtly distorted rhythms where there’s some mighty guitar reverb along the way.

That’s not to say the band have left their debut album’s wicked style of Classic Hard Rock and bombastic 80’s based Heavy Metal grooves. Formation Ritual showcase within the excellent opening track Waning Light they’ve found the right creative ground to play their own definitive style of gloomy heaviness which has a destructive FUZZY sound that moves over within the next two tracks of  Sun Chariot Intro and Sun Chariot.

Echoes of Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard and Mastodon can be heard within the third track Sun Chariot which has a more cavalier approach with the lyrics that works superbly well with Jason’s intense vocal performance. Formation Ritual plays a long drawn out style of classical heavy metal guitar solos that airs on the right side of Prog Metal without ever getting too much for the whole concept of the album.

Fourth track Bog Bodies opts for a stripped back and extended trippy progressive jams with the music being played at a delicate slow pace. The “less-is-more” creative feeling of the song does allow Formation Ritual to play some of the most intense FUZZIER sounds on the album. There’s a great style of WO FAT sounding Swampy Sludgy grooves merging with perhaps an early Alice In Chains vocal narrative which does showcase a different side to the band.

Fifth song Sons Of The Eastern Plains has a more dramatic feeling with the band adding subtle traces of Blues Rock and subtle hints of Synths being more dramatic and perhaps even Occult based. The style of music is very hard to pin down but remains constantly engaging with a soulful approach.

The final three songs of Cuneiform, Copper Axe and Dawn Goddess is the most excessive Doomed Out parts of the album with Formation Ritual offering a Scorched Earth sound which is quite destructive within both the Fuzz Rock and Progressive elements which you feel within Cuneiform and Dawn Goddess.

Doors To The Dead allows Formation Ritual to release an outstanding album that not only builds upon what came before it but absolutely annihilates to pieces at the same time with the fine amount of intense Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal grooves that’s contained within.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Formation Ritual for the promo.

Links

Linktree | Official | BandCamp | Instagram | Facebook

Formation Ritual - The Shifting Dust (Album Review)

Release Date: July 8th 2022. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

The Shifting Dust - Tracklisting

It Summons You

Coming Of The Tide

Second Rate Gods

Land Of Ruin

Cotyledons

Oleander

Heavy Skies

Get Through To You

Tip Of My Brain

In2U.com

Members

Jason Tapia - Vocals/Guitars/Organs

Jose Perez - Drums

Joe Mora - Bass

Review

The Shifting Dust is the debut album from Doom/Stoner Rockers Formation Ritual. The band play a blend of Fuzzed Out Psych Doom/Stoner Rock which brings in areas of Classic Rock and Desert Rock. The album has an unashamed "hip" and "retro" feeling whilst having a classic modern day sound all of its own. If you dig the heavy sounds of The Who, Black Sabbath and Uncle Acid then Formation Ritual are another kick-ass band for everyone to get acquainted with. I mention The Who as the second half of the album does remind me of The Who (70's era) when the Classic Hard Rock parts of the album become more prominent.

Opening song It Summons You is one that sees the band bring a classic style of Psych Rock with flashes of Heavy Doom, Fuzz Rock and Stoner Rock set against the Occult based Scorched Desert atmospherics that's held throughout this song. The song has classic sounding lyrics and vocals with a modern Stoner Rock/Metal distorted FUZZ groove. This track is undeniably CATCHY and revels in it's haunting 70's Occult/Retro world. Perhaps one of the standout tracks on the album with its huge sounding STADIUM sized vocals and riffs. 

Second song Coming Off The Tide is a more Blues based sound with cool organs allowing Formation Ritual becoming more doomier and perhaps more vintage/classic rock than the WEEDIAN sounds that accompanied the first track. This song is a good indication of how the band changed their tone and mood for the majority of these songs. The song does have it's fair share of Stoner based vibes but primarily being an Occult based track that sees Formation Ritual bring their gloomy presence to a more theatrical style of music. 

Third song Second Rate Gods opens with semi acoustic guitars and psychedelic noises for a more laid back approach and employing a 60's Folk/Hard Rock delivery for the first half of the song. The vocals do have a "Neil Young" influence to them for the first couple of minutes before Formation Ritual make the wise decision to go all in with the Heavy Doom/Stoner Metal guitars a few minutes into the song. When the song becomes heavier, Formation Ritual are on FIRE playing similar sounds to Uncle Acid and King Buffalo. There's some 80's inspired EPIC guitar solos near the end of the song. Thrilling stuff indeed.

Fourth song Land Of Ruin is where everything fully comes together and the album's different sounds have a sense of purpose and perhaps a more vital presence. As the band excel playing this deliciously heavy blend of Blues Rock, Doom Metal, Stoner Rock and every other style of music Formation Ritual get their hands upon. The lyrics and vocals remain in the Classic Rock world but everything else is thoroughly modern. 

Formation Ritual carry on playing this trippy hybrid style of music with great effect on other standout songs such as: Cotyledons, Oleander, Tip Of My Brain and In2U.com. The album does become quite far out and dare I say "Spaced Out" in places with perhaps the final two songs of Tip Of My Brain and In2U.com allowing Formation Ritual to lay down the heaviest and most inventive parts of the album. 

The Shifting Dust is an album that will appeal to many different factions of the underground Doom/Stoner Metal scene. As it has something for everyone to fully appreciate and enjoy. iIth first rate production values handled by Jason Tapia and Jose Perez, this record is dynamically rich and powerful especially when the smaller details become the main focus of the album.

The Shifting Dust feels like a "greatest hits" package rather than a debut album. Formation Ritual have delivered an outstanding debut album and I wouldn't be surprised if one of the "big" indie labels within the scene will give this album the Vinyl Reissue treatment further down the line.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Jason for the promo.

The Shifting Dust will be available to buy from July 08th 2022.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Introduce Yourselves: Formation Ritual

What is the name of your band?

Formation Ritual

What is the genre of music that you play?

Our music is somewhere between stoner rock and traditional doom with some psych elements sprinkled in here and there. 

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

My previous band had just called it quits and I had a bunch of songs ready to go that I had written to use with them. I was in the process of writing more tunes too. I wanted to get the songs out as quickly as possible so I decided to forge ahead on my own under a new project name, Formation Ritual. I enlisted the help of a longtime friend and collaborator Jose Perez to co-produce, engineer and drum on the record. Jose then recommended his friend Joe Mora to play bass. The resulting album is called The Shifting Dust and will be out on July 8th. Our first single, It Summons You, is already out streaming everywhere.

What can people expect from your music?

Musically, I try my best to create music that is heavy and memorable. I’m a fan of interesting melodies and atmosphere as well as song structures that create energy and dynamics. Lyrically, I like to bring in mysterious themes and imagery referencing ancient cultures and occult ideas but connect them to things going on in daily life so that they retain a personal vibe. There are a ton of bands in this scene that are doing such great music so there’s always new inspiration to draw from. 

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

The first single, It Summons You, was just released on 4/29. It’s available on Bandcamp and every other streaming platform.

Where can people find you on Social Media?

You can find Formation Ritual on Facebook, Instagram, and Bandcamp.