ALBUM REVIEW: The Infinite Mirror – Ritual King
Established in 79AD as Mancunium by the Romans, modern day Manchester is a significant and historical city. Alongside its lengthy history is a rich, vibrant and world-conquering music scene that carried half of UK pop music on its back during the 1980s and 1990s. Adding to this rich musical heritage is the bluesy, psychedelic and versatile sound of RITUAL KING. Forming in 2016, the trio of Jordan Leppitt (vocals, guitar), Dan Godwin (bass) and Gareth Hodges (drums, backing vocals) have enthralled fans worldwide with their intoxicating riffs, hypnotic melodies and versatile songwriting.
The band’s sophomore album The Infinite Mirror follows on from their fuzz-laden 2020 self-titled debut. It’s safe to say RITUAL KING haven’t rested on their laurels; always keen to explore and expand their sound, The Infinite Mirror takes you on a vivid and kaleidoscopic journey deep into the human psyche with constantly shifting atmospheres, evolving melodies and heavy riffs. With themes of introspection, duality, and the eternal search for meaning, The Infinite Mirror is an album that commands your attention and has to be experienced in its entirety.
RITUAL KING make a concerted effort to blur the lines between their lyrical themes; light and dark constantly intermingle and your perspective is altered at every turn. However, this intense sounding journey is surprisingly meditative and elegant. Stoner and blues rock are accompanied by folky mysticism and progressive psych as RITUAL KING utilise all these influences to create exciting, immersive and spellbinding songs that go beyond the confines of stoner rock.
The sonic palette of this album is reminiscent of bands such as ELDER, KING BUFFALO and ASTEROID. It feels like the Mancunian trio have taken a step back to look at the bigger picture, opening their eyes and casting their thoughts further across the astral plains to create something truly special. While the band’s signature heavy blues and crushing stoner trademarks are still there, The Infinite Mirror surpasses the debut on several levels in terms of musicianship, creativity, concept and overall songwriting.
What also makes this album stand out is the band’s tangible chemistry and charisma alongside a pristine live recording. It has all the hallmarks of an old school sounding record that makes your soul come alive, rustic and raw round the edges but tight and powerful in its performance. RITUAL KING have significantly upped their game and sophomore syndrome certainly has no place here. The band have made a statement with The Infinite Mirror – a declaration of their creative versatility and fiery ambition.
Conceptually, the album is open to multiple perspectives. While the focus is on exploring the human psyche, it’s one of those albums that allows you to take what you want out of it. As you get lost in its meditative melodies and hypnotic, swung riffs, the undercurrents of self-discovery, existentialism, and the interconnectedness of all things enter your mind and the world just melts away. RITUAL KING have packed so many nuanced feelings, thoughts and topics into this album that you can’t take it all in on one listen through.
The album opens up rather surprisingly, with an acoustic guitar. Flow State starts with a folky, bluesy guitar melody soaked in reverb that eases you into this sonic journey before RITUAL KING hit you with a seismic wall of fuzz. For the next eight minutes you’re sucked into a different realm of kaleidoscopic colour complete with luscious vocal harmonies. Worlds Divide is a thunderous track that continues this otherworldly vibe, adding to the rich atmospheres with thick bluesy riffing and pounding drum rhythms. Flowing effortlessly into Landmass, you begin to hear the band’s progressive psych influences come to the fore as dizzying solos and shifting grooves send you on a cosmic journey to the colourful nebulas of the universe. Ironically, this song makes you feel like you’re floating despite its title.
Next up is the just shy of 12 minutes magnum opus of the album, Tethered, a long sprawling track that ebbs and flows effortlessly through several movements. Building tension in the atmospheres and purposefully diffusing them with thunderous levels of anthemic fuzz and vocal melodies, this colossal track immerses you under waves of heavy psych, blues and stoner that makes the gentle twinkling introduction of the following title track a welcome reprieve. The Infinite Mirror is a thought provoking track in the first half and a magnificent riff-fest in the second, building slowly before dispatching the album with an almighty proliferation of celestial vocals and titanic riffs.
RITUAL KING’s sophomore album is a statement of intent. The Manchester trio want to rise to the upper echelons with their expansive and versatile sound, and with The Infinite Mirror they shouldn’t have a problem getting that ascent started.
Rating: 8/10
The Infinite Mirror is set for release on November 17th via Ripple Music.
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