Review: THE RITUAL “Beyond The Fragile Horizon” (November 2011)

THE RITUAL “Beyond The Fragile Horizon”
Release date: 14 November 2011

Don’t matter
My Eyes have seen for better Out of Blue comes Green

Big sensation of heavy-thrash-power-metal for this retracted autumn, bow – and here before us THE RITUAL (signed Bakerteam Records, a subsidiary of the very estimated mother-house Scarlet Records) formed in 2002 by Marco Obice and Luca De Vito, aspiring to mix various influences in their music entity, thrash metal, with an incisive statement of high dose of “core” melodies positioning by a more aggressive Trivium or even a less pubescent Sonic Syndicate, fashion in sum. After the first demo made in 2008, here is the concocted result by the 2 childhood friends, meanwhile joined by drummer Vito Luca and Marco Pastorino to the lead guitars and choirs.

…”Music for young people…”
First it made me doubt a bit, will I support Sonic “Metalcorism” procrastination and other epileptic deflagrations (there is a single DragonForce, and so much the better…) in a brouhaha sound at the limit of the stereo overdose, where am I going to access of mercy and give a chance to this young hungry gang?
After many attentive wiretappings, the album becomes more sharp to me (“Shoot Me” and its solos in cobwebs), when it kills its deadly rhythmics (“Show me What You can Do”, a power single) and I begin to believe that this band, THE RITUAL, knows me.

“Jason On The River” and its unstoppable chorus, the suave “Together” (A7X is not far away) or “The Liar”, more Metallica in the soul with these solos knit a stairway to the sky, just a few piano notes, a few discrete keyboards and the convincing voice to finish to erect this sympathetic metal pyramid.

The significant electrical addition comes by Marco Pastorino (from the talented Secret Sphere), he is certainly the icing on the cake, so much his drenched demonstrations gives the feeling to be on the top for this band.
Large production work at Authoma Studios of Federico Pennazzato (Secret Sphere, Sadist…), mastered by Simone Mularoni (DGM), the result is this first album of these Italians! it’s also under a very nice package (Nerve Design: Nile, Vision Divine etc…). … even if it does not revolutionize the scenes and even if it speaks to a younger hungry audience for “wired news” (great God, where I have passed my 20 years…?), but sometimes we focus enough to advise fans of Brainstorm, Mendeed, Avenged Sevenfold, Firewind and Artillery: but hey, this album has a very very good sound!

This is not a Testament but a promise of hope:
Beyond the fragile horizon, there is a future.
Glorious-

Reviewed by MEL DELACROIX

Line-up:
Marco Obice: Vocals and Guitar;
Marco Pastorino: Lead Guitar and Backing Vocals;
Liuk J. Abbott: Bass Guitar;
Luca De Vito: Drums