Absent Ritual |The Cryptic Descent: A Compilation Of Madness |Eternal Death Records

Release Date March 6^th, 2026
Format Cassette
Genre Black Metal
Country USA

Emerging from the hidden layers of the New York City underground, Absent Ritual operates as a strange trio pumping out extreme noise. These guys crawled out of obscure, avant-garde circles, tossing progressive rock ideas and heavy metal elements into a swirling cauldron. They play on their own bizarre wavelength, churning out a twisted mix of extreme music entirely drenched in hallucinogenic madness. "The Cryptic Descent: A Compilation Of Madness" marks the first time they have officially unleashed their sonic rituals to the masses.

The tape initially kicks off sounding like a standard grim assault. You hear the fast tremolo picking and blasting drums tearing through the speakers, ripping open a freezing atmosphere. Suddenly, things take a massive left turn into uncharted territories. The standard marching riffs twist into massive, stadium-sized guitar solos. It is entirely bizarre hearing actual rock hero shredding laid over aggressive blast beats, throwing the whole trip into a serious psychedelic spiral.

The guitars wail wildly on "Darkness Divine", adding a deranged layer to the traditional shrieks and frantic drumming. They plunge deep into extended labyrinths of bizarre chord progressions. The musicianship stays completely raw, avoiding modern studio tricks entirely. The production screams ancient analog decay, capturing a pure basement jam session gone horribly wrong. The guys are just playing whatever dark visions enter their heads.

The entire tape clocks in fast and leaves a gnarly mark. Absent Ritual brings a completely wild perspective to extreme music, tossing out the rulebook and embracing their own idiosyncratic strangeness. It is a crazy trip down a dark rabbit hole, filled with aggressive blasts and bizarre guitar work. Loose your mind, and let the chaos blast your eardrums into oblivion.

Score: 7.5

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