RITUALS OF THE DEAD HAND : “The Wretched and the Vile”

Good beer, excellent chocolate…and quality black metal. These are just some of the gifts that Belgium can offer to the curious citizen of the world. Today I can’t invite you to beer and chocolate in Luxembourg (a perfect combination, by the way), but I will tell you about the new album of the Belgian black metal band RITUALS OF THE DEAD HAND.
The band’s latest work, their second full-length from 2021, titled “With Hoof and Horn”, was widely discussed and featured on many charts for the top albums of the year, managing to undoubtedly ignite with its palpably ritualistic and passionate, aggressive melodies.
The unique blend of grandiose doom and black metal left by this album would be hard to top in terms of feeling. However, the members of The Nox Entity are definitely not ones to shy away from a challenge and as always, present themselves in an authentic creative light without taking on the mindset of being “better” or “making an impression” on their dear audience, as it should be.
“The Wretched and the Vile” is the band’s awaited third full-length album, soon to be released via Immortal Frost Productions, with whom they signed last year.
And while on the previous two albums RITUALS OF THE DEAD HAND wrote their lyrics around the infamous Bokkenrijders gang, cultivating the devil in the band’s home region in the 18th century, on “The Wretched and the Vile” the concept expands to other local tales and folklore, and even the song “De Gnijdige” deals with the subject of witchcraft, something that was not uncommon in the Limburg area a few centuries ago. It is interesting how through black metal one can get to know the past better and immerse oneself in the magic of folklore in unknown places around the world…
With a darker and more driven concept than before, the album welcomes us to “The Restless Doomed”, a track that starts with ambient and acoustic sounds, directly looking at the dark ages as  insects are buzzing through the dirty streets, followed by a rhythmic doom metal-oriented instrumental, progressing to more fast-paced black metal guitars and drums, through which the hars traditional vocals enter with devastating power – highly emotionally charged and provocative. Also, the lyrics in Belgian and English lend an incredible authenticity to the song – it’s always nice to hear bands perform lyrics in their native language, even if it’s only partially. Additionally, midway through the song there are particularly hallucinogenic slower riffs that pulse through the mind and are soon followed by a more uptempo instrumental. The combination of doom metal, ambient sounds and black metal raw energy, presented through different moods and clear devotion, once again gives an inhuman fiery nuance to the music of RITUALS OF THE DEAD HAND and leaves no doubt about the next thirty minutes of the album .

„Through flames and ash
The mark engraved“

The next hymn “Wij, Hoeren van Lucifer” follows – a song steeped in fornication and blasphemous freedom, dedicated to midnight ritualistic witch fires and the acceptance of Lucifer’s wisdom. With interesting lead guitars and keyboards, the instrumental once again manages to implant itself in the mind, with Lykaios’ vocals erupting into space, at times breaking into a captivating speech, luring you into the deep… only to push you straight into a wall of fast-paced instrumental force and a new dose of harsh conquering vocals.
With each successive track, the aggression progresses and draws you further into the album’s essence and its darkness, the atmosphere maneuvering between a range of moods and tempos with ease, delivering music full of surprises, ready to take you through different soundscapes – you can witness even wild classical guitar solos with Floyd Rose (pay special attention to “Mayhem and the Goat” if those are your weakness). And last but not least, if you’re shivering in anticipation of brain-piercing instrumental moments along the lines of ‘Sulphur’ –  one of the  staples in  the band’s previous work, you won’t be disappointed, there’s plenty of meaningful elements here to look out for.
Steeped in the enchantment of magic from centuries past, “The Wretched and the Vile” tells the story of secret gatherings and dark forces creeping from the shadows, bringing wisdom from the depths of antiquity. The six captivatingly written compositions melt the boundaries between dream and reality with deep and sometimes catchy doom metal melodies, layered with black metal fury and raw energy that fuse the individual elements into an unsuspected might. Passion, musicianship and originality intertwine in RITUALS OF THE DEAD HAND’s characteristically excellent production, ready to haunt your mind and ears. And there is no choice but to let the dark witches and evil spirits carry the smoke of the ritual fire and lead you into the old faded stories passed down from mouth to mouth…

Score: 9/10

Favorite song: “The Restless Doomed”

You can hear the following songs from the album:

Band: RITUALS OF THE DEAD HAND
Album:   „The Wretched and the Vile“
Release Date: 26-ти януари, 2024-та
Label: Immortal Frost Productions
Pre-order link: https://bit.ly/3u7rpb9