Ritual Error – London, England, United Kingdom
Another short-ish one today throwing light on a band whose clout far dwarfs this word count, introducing Ritual Error is the name of the game. London-based but tributing a far-flung sound (and movement) that changed everything, as much as they are refreshing it, the four-piece push a frantic, frenetic and impassioned “Revolution Summer” Post-Hardcore Punk-Rock craft into a UK scene waving goodbye to the previous years’ troubles.
Consider the time-honoured names of Dischord Records, Fugazi, and Embrace. Bolster such with the likes of Rites Of Spring, Dag Nasty, Gray Matter and countless more from that age and finally, place contemporary stalwarts Celebration Summer alongside it all and you have an idea of the trajectory Ritual Error’s enthralling grit is taking. To date, the band’s recorded work is confined to their three-reak demo released in 2022 but with the band currently on tour as I write this, more is almost guaranteed to come soon.
And, to be concise, what a demo it is. ‘Crash Ettiquette’ is dominated by wild bass lines as low, rumbling and brooding as they are playful and buoyant. Its pace is kept by frantic drumming presenting controlled chaos entirely under its own volition, while a jangling, twang-toned guitar erratically strafes as if mired in a drug-induced fervour, yet clearly guided by a lucid directive. Vocally, this 1:18 marks the Ritual Error spin on the Rev’ Summer sound they plainly adore. Alternating between the cleaner vocals that inspired so much and the more shrill, rage-strained, vocal-chord sundering tirades of equal influence, Aaron’s relentless display match the general writhing of the band’s instrumentation but keenly to that of the unhinged guitar. See for yourself.
November’s demo doesn’t pull its flurry of spasmodic punches for but a second. The era that inspired the band was, again, chaotic but with the time lapsed between those seminal years and now, existential dread has compounded into layer upon layer of catalytic inspiration, with the music accompanying such reflective words only increasing its own intensity.
Ritual Error’s Post-Hardcore sound captures this brilliantly, accentuating their foundation with a harder, contemporary delivery. The band’s melody is discordant but comparatively clean compared to their cycling underbelly, creating an almost (sonically) sardonic contrast to the raw and frustrating Punk on offer, further echoing how seminal the aforementioned era was with its melodic twist on Hardcore. This is something the groove-imbued ‘Ludorum’ does well.
Ritual Error take their blueprint further with the Noise Rock-imbued ‘Gridlock AD’ as it organically segues into the aforementioned as if it had always been so. The London four-piece brilliantly showcase their amorphous bedrock on this demo and with more than one clever nod to possible future avenues strewn within its 5:59, you’d be an idiot to pass them by.
‘Wound so tight, brains and fingers bulge, can’t fathom freedom, gridlock.’
Introducing Ritual Error. That’ll do.
