“My time in the USA (over a decade) really opened my eyes to a lot of things about organised religion and its influence over ordinarily good people to do undoubtedly wicked things. This intensified after the results of the 2016 election, and I really felt the need to express my thoughts and feelings about it. My hope is that people who are believers are not directly offended by this album. My attack is not on belief and faith itself, but rather the doctrines and influence of institutionalised and organised religion. Questions I hope believers ask themselves include “are my beliefs making me more or less tolerant?” “Are my decisions based on fear of punishment, or a desire to do good by others?” “Am I doing things because the traditions in which I grew up, or because I am making my own decisions?”
Martyrs by The Royal Ritual begins with the track “Terrorforming“ where a solitary bird heralds the awakening of a layered soundscape amplified by sinister bells and culminating in a deluge. “Pews in a Pandemic“ with the provocative lyrics “get down on your knees“ is filled with vocals that are both scintillating and threatening across a complexed stratified soundscape. The Title track of the album “Martyrs“ is heavy with rhythmic industrial sounds and dark, snarling lyrics, interrupted at times by sinister whispered vocals. “(Nothing) on the Other Side“ is a distorted and aggressive adventure punctuated by an Industrial beat of primal drums and a haunting aftertaste. “Life, After“ has almost gothic vocals with a narrators tone that ebbs and flows punctuating his message in a disturbing but entrancing way .“Empires“ presents as a hypnotic lulling soundscape which is then crowded by menacing growling distortions having a disturbing and roiling effect on the listener as the lyrics unsettle and threaten.“Model Army“ has a dark almost retro sound accented by undulating lyrics that tug and drag at the listener. The evocative lyric “I’m just taking orders and not taking lives“, is punctuated by a building cacophony of alarming and cautionary sounds. “Illiterate Messenger“ with its menacing whispered lyrics buries the listener into a confused and perverse ambient environment occasionally lifting them with an ethereal voice. “Finally Free“is a beautiful and haunting track with an almost lullaby like atmosphere
The Royal Ritual said of this last track on the “After having many conversations with my dear friends who consider themselves religious, a lot of times they come to the realisation that, generally speaking, they hold their beliefs in spite of the negative doctrines, rather than because of them. These conversations formed the lyrics in the middle of the song “Finally Free.”
Overall this is an epic album taking the listener on a haunting, provocative journey through a dark and at times daunting landscape before leading he listener to a glimmer of. enlightenment.
Links :
The Royal Ritual has a wonderful offer of Hand-Typed, Signed and Stamped Lyric sets
https://theroyalritual.bandcamp.com/merch/martyrs-hand-typed-signed-and-stamped-lyric-set
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/theroyalritualmusic/
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/46tCy5ZnBCSi6RhnlyQiSI?si=eq66EUlsSY2KnrnWRN-K1A
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