Ritual: Ritual

Sweden produced a lot of great prog bands in the 1990s. At the top of the heap for me are �"nglagård, Anekdoten, and Opeth. You also have to acknowledge the sheer productivity of The Flower Kings, with 17 full-length albums since their debut in 1995, most of which are very solid. Among the lesser known entrants from that period are Landberk, Sinkadus, and Ritual, the last of which has recently reissued their first, self-titled album on vinyl for the first time.

I had forgotten about Ritual until 2024’s The Story of Mr. Bogd Part I, which came 17 years after its predecessor, The Hemulic Voluntary Band. Both show the band in mature form and, for my money, are quite a bit better than their first three full-length releases. Musically, the band (a four-piece with consistent membership throughout their existence) had it from the outset: an eclectic sound blending folk, chamber, and symphonic music. But the vocals! One might charitably call them “playful�: high-pitched, deliberately eccentric, and often essentially spoken word in form. That’s what always troubled me about the debut, and it continues to do so today. You could argue that the band follows basically the same vocal approach on Mr. Bogd (which I’ve now learned was expanded from a 2020 EP), but they are more restrained and contextually fitting on that album. Also, the instrumentals are nicely placed, giving the listener welcome reprieves.

I have seen a few people call Ritual a classic from this very fertile period of Swedish prog. I can’t agree. It’s good, but its importance ultimately lies in getting this talented group of musicians off the ground, even if it took them quite a while to hit it running.

Track Listing
1. Wingspread (5:47)
2. The Way of Things (3:35)
3. Typhoons Decide (5:19)
4. A Little More Like Me (5:19)
5. Solitary Man (8:09)
6. Life Has Just Begun (3:33)
7. Dependence Day (4:46)
8. Seasong for the Moominpappa (7:31)
9. You Can Never Tell (4:48)
10. Big Black Secret (6:53)
11. Power Place (5:15)

Added: January 25th 2026
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 79
Language: english

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