EP REVIEW: Ritual Blood of the West – Nytt Land

For two genres that clearly have close roots, people can be surprised when country and folk music from different parts of the world are blended together. As country in itself is a more commercially packaged version of folk music that came from the US, finding its origins in small communities, so it finds kin with folk music of other cultures and communities. On Their latest release Ritual: Blood Of The West, Siberian duo NYTT LAND take their signature ambient folk sound and reinterpret it into an interesting new blend of styles.

The EP opens with Dark Country. Ritual – a song that demonstrates what NYTT LAND are all about for this release, both for returning listeners and newcomers alike. Blending through traditional folk style country guitars and haunting folk vocals, the duo both strip back and expand upon their sound in this EP.

Dead Man’s Ballad is especially haunting. Beautiful dual guitars interweave and unfold from each other while Natasha Pakhalenko’s vocals bellow clear and beautiful. The mixture of throat singing and ‘regular’ vocals is exceptionally well executed on this EP. That goes for both parties, as Anatoly Pakhalenko’s masculine vocals add a harmony to the band’s dynamic and the traditional soundscapes they create.

Ritual: Blood Of The West affords the instrumentation time to breathe, so while bursts of shining vocals or choral chants create a sense of familiarity, they are underpinned by an instrumental section that feels familiar and close. Title track Blood Of The West, an exclusively instrumental passage, is both tranquil and imaginatively evocative. Balance is the key element here, with passages that loop and repeat to create a warm sense of security, the same way a vocal chant would, but the sway and detail changes bringing a feeling of freedom and growth.

The other side of that coin is when the vocals themselves are that foundational level of musicality. The Blues Of Ragnarok and Song Of U-Gra both take the chanting style that NYTT LAND are known for, but this time really lean into the acoustic feel of this EP. It transforms the songs from their original state into something new, something different, while maintaining that comforting sense of trance and ritual.

A comforting, warm experience, Ritual: Blood Of The West manages to bridge the gap between folk and country in a way that doesn’t feel contrived. Rather, NYTT LAND balance their signature vocals with more western instrumentation in this authentic and refreshing listen.

Rating: 7/10

Ritual: Blood Of The West is set for release on November 18th via Napalm Records

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