Three-piece multi-nation black ensemble Destruction Ritual releases "Providence," their second album after putting out their demo tape in 2021. Formed with members from the United States and France, Destruction Ritual composes lengthy stretches of dreary black metal. They call back to a simpler time of French-centered black metal such as Aosoth and Antaeus, both of which have been keeping the French scene of black metal alive, even if Aosoth sadly disbanded in 2017. The band members, and pretty much the band in its entirety is somewhat of a mystery, as they have no online presence, and the member's real names are shrouded by the aliases Arafel, TerrorReign, and MkM. Hopefully, I can clear the fog, and find a great new find in the black metal realm.

With "Providence" being released in early-mid September with no singles, it was a surprise for me, as well as many others. With only six songs, the 45-minute time run is used up generously by each, with the shortest track being about five minutes, and the longest reaching the 9:30 mark. The album opens with the title track "Providence," is some scrumptious black metal. Persistent blast-beats, soaring guitars, and the vocals sound quite like whispers, or a mix between classic black metal vocals, but a bit hushed. It's a bit of a tinny sound, and hopefully there's some vocal variety. The riffs are typical, but they get the job done nicely. Being completely honest, I'm quite over the song, and it's only been four minutes, so it kind of worries me about the longer epics of the project. I'm sure over time I'll get adjusted to the hushy vocal style. "Pride & Corrupted Dreams" is up next, and is the other short track. It's a bit more aggressive, which I'll take any day, and the vocals seem to continue - that may be my one gripe with the project in it's entirety. The drums take on a marching band roll at some time into the track, which is a unique style for a black metal sound. The crashing cymbals fill in any moments of quiet, and the near-ending guitar solos are tasteful. The halfway point is marked by "Gone Days of Slumber," and things get slow... The tempo just crawls ever-so slowly, and the dread sets in, with the vocals now starting to come around to more of a traditional tone. There are some noises near the end that remind me of the nightmare I had two nights ago...

The second part of the work starts with the epic track "Decaying Mask of Remorse." Female words are spoken over a droning electric guitar, and I can tell there's going to be some filler in this song. I've noticed by now that there is a designated keyboardist, but I have not yet heard it - I'll be on the audible lookout for it specifically. I'm sure it's a key part in soundscape-building. The woman is now moaning and panting disturbingly and a little awkwardly, and eventually the screams commence. Destruction Ritual drags on with "Washed Away Sins," and it's another track of considerable length, with again, some boring parts. The closer of the album is aptly named "Closure," and it sure does take a while for it to close. Atmospheric black metal is a great genre, and one of my personal favorites, due to, well, the atmosphere. This batch of songs doesn't entirely fall into this category, but there are some stretches where I'd surely tag them as such.

All properties for some good old-fashioned black metal is here in "Providence," but something seems off - is it the tinny vocals? The too-long-for-me passages? Everything in the ancient black metal books are present with Destruction Ritual, but I can't fully give this album the kudos of the black metal greats. If you're a fan of epic metal with plenty of time for it's elements to unfold, this is a great release for you. It's not complete without it's boring parts.