RITUALS have entered the Death Metal pantheon both recently and well-armed to fight off anyone unwilling to relinquish their seat for them. Made up of members from DESTROYER 666, ATOLA, and other Melbourne-native bands, the Australian quartet released their epically titled debut EP Neoteric Commencements on Halloween of this year. The EP contains four songs of the Apocalypse and also comes with about seven atmospheres worth of pressure applied to your skull. RITUALS is a burning lantern held aloft to light the way through a raging blizzard made of sound and fury. Prepare to enter the storm alone with no sign of shelter for miles.

Let's explore the raging blood hurricane that is "Wake of A Dead God's Robe". It's an oppressive, swirling wake of crashing cymbals and quaking riffs colliding into each other in a blinding, violently churning haze that rips buildings from their foundations and strips paint from their facades. Following is the eye of the storm "Drown Amongst Serpents". It's an even more intense tempest that batters an already beleaguered shoreline with dynamite levels of explosive blast beats and cymbals crashing down like so much hail. Following the storms is the uprising of displaced citizens, looting and bloodthirsty in "Slaves to the Tyrants". RITUALS is consistent with their choice of atmosphere with thundering clouds of bass and ever-present hail of cymbals painting pictures of catastrophic wind and rain battering down the coast. The audio beatdown RITUALS delivers is one that doesn't show any mercy.

Final track "The Eighth Door" is the storm passing but not without doing more damage to its surroundings. The fury fades off as it moves on past the horizon, but slowly near the end of the track, taking its time as its rage takes forever to burn off and leave the affected citizens to rebuild everything. Prepare to enter the storm alone with no sign of shelter for miles with Neoteric Commencements!