Volt Ritual – Return To Jupiter
Self released – 2024
Rock, Stoner, Space, Doom
Rated: ****
As we inch closer to the deadline for YOUR lists for the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of 2024. Namely, before Saturday December 14th, 8.00 CET. We decided to deep dive into that folder full of albums we desperately had wanted to mention this year. We wrote about something like 250 albums and EP’s this year. But in that folder, there are still some 400 more that we had wanted to bring into your peripheral vision. And we are saddened that we will never get to that… But well, besides trying to keep up with all the new ones coming out, we’re now trying to bring into the spotlight one from every month passed that we unfortunately did not mention during the month they were released.
We mentioned Black Toaster and their Flying Rage Machine from January just yesterday. And this, Volt Ritual’s second EP called Return To Jupiter was released in February. They hail from Poland and where the trio sounded more like Sabbath and Fu Manchu on their first EP, this one takes more cues from the space rock side of heavy rock. There’s a bit of sloppiness on this recording, but it gives even more character to the four tracks that continue the tale of exploration that Volt Ritual started with their first release. Remember that one? With opening track Approaching Jupiter? This one features a line-up change and opens with instrumental, though ridden with samples, Heavy Metal Is Good For You. And that one track alone would bring enough sustenance to your heavy rocking core. Setting the scene perfectly for Ghostpolis to serve as a laidback groove, surveying the landscape from a far, from somewhere in orbit or flying high over the deserted planet. Gwiazdolot (starship in Polish) on the other hand sets in descent, skirting through the debris and uses the up-tempo delivery to paint a gritty picture of the surroundings. It also skirts a bit more back towards their first release. Final and title track Return To Jupiter delivers the space beauty once more, with darkened colors and a lot of flashes from Volt Ritual's expertise. Let’s see where the journey takes us next time…
(Written by JK)
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Review for the debut by Volt Ritual
