Glass Throat Recordings


	TERRORIZER MAGAZINE #196 BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" Blessed by the increasing tide of Shamanic environmental BM! Wether ludicrously hippie or a challenge to modernity's decay, one things certain, its uncompromising quest not for "evil" but for archetypal essence and origin has totally liberated it from genre conventions. Blood of the Black Owl's third album sounds part 70's occult film soundtrack, part 4AD were they a Doom label, & part indigenous tribal lore. The transitions between "A Banishing Ritual's" four movements suggest that B.o.t.B.O. aren't merely composing music inspired by a spiritual experience, but aurally outline & report the dynamic unfolding of an actual ritual. The third movement is thus entitled "Chant of the Captured Spirit" because it's descriptive of an event. Its abrupt beginning therefore marks the instant of said Spirit's capture. This means that one should probably refrain from listening to this masterpiece alone in the dark. (8.5 out of 10) METAL HAMMER #204 (May 2010) BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" Chet W. Scott has outdone himself again. His third album, designed to act as a latter-day cleansing ritual, is so abrasive & cathartic, you can't help but wonder what he thinks we've done wrong. In a crepuscular arboreal lair, a spider has hung all the metal possessions of its victims by threads of silk, so they clatter together in the breeze. Nameless Lovecraftian things bang out rhythms on petrified tree stumps. Distant Gregorian Monks too afraid to enter the forest chant, & then the guitars kick in for one moment of sweet relief before solipsistic ruminations of sin find voice in Tuvan throat singing... Brilliant! (9 out of 10) HEX MAGAZINE BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" Blood of the Black Owl have carved a formidable reputation with their characteristic brand of Heathen-inflected “blackened doom metal,” as I am wont to call it. Knowing the impeccable standards to which band leader Chet Scott holds all of his creative projects (Ruhr Hunter, Elemental Chrysalis with Blood of the Black Owl comrade James Woodhead, etc), I was positively bursting at the thought of hearing this new album. And high as they were, my expectations have been completely exceeded. A Banishing Ritual is a concept album with a driving sense of direction. From the hypnotic noise-haze that opens it all away to the tempestuous and climactic conclusion, the experience of being carried through a deeply powerful magic act is forefront. There are impossibly long builds in intensity, shattering crescendos, and tranced out, drifting passages that lead into unknowable realms. Everything with this release is writ on a grand scale, both the tranquil moments and the barnstorming. Where this album departs from previous Blood of the Black Owl efforts is in the emphasis on metal guitars. There are almost none on this release at all; the familiar pummeling drum work remains, but it is swells of amazingly heavy drones that do the work previously done by guitars. Some metal heads may find the departure uncomfortable, but this is their loss – Blood of the Black Owl is if anything more heavy for this evolution. As always the percussion sounds like a titan smashing boulders together, and Chet’s extreme vocals are more blood curdling and primal than ever. There’s no shortage of extremity, in other words, just a more considered exploration of the breadth of the band’s sonic palette. By largely abandoning guitars Blood of the Black Owl have freed themselves to work with complex and subtle textural layers, building up fragments of instrumentation into batteries of seriously heavy texture. Awesome and crushing are the words that this element of Blood of the Black Owl’s sound invokes. Yet the release also delves deep into Scott and Woodhead’s ambient and atmospheric leanings, with some remarkably fragile and vulnerable explorations. The contrast between sensitivity and brutality is potent indeed – this release wears its heart on its sleeve without losing an ounce of its raw force. While it is a little difficult to make direct comparisons, I personally feel that A Banishing Ritual represents an important evolutionary step – the band have sloughed off all resistance to achieve a consummate musical expression. It is a deep privilege to have the opportunity to experience this remarkable recording. METALREVIEW.COM BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" I was actually hesitant to throw my hat in the ring when I first saw this record in the Metal Review queue . Not necessarily because I wanted someone else to have a fair swing, but mostly in that Blood of the Black Owl recordings require a very specific mindset and level of fortitude necessary to fully absorb and digest what's plated by head holy-fellow, Chet W. Scott. That's not meant to be interpreted as a slight; the fact of the matter is, Blood of the Black Owl's music, when consumed and fully assimilated as I imagine it's intended to be, can cause the lightest of moods to bend sharply towards dark self-reflection that's honestly rather draining. Cathartic, but draining. However, as a grizzled veteran of the game, I crave a good challenge, even if it's likely to steer me on a path that lands me toe-to-toe with cranial bogeymen. So, back into the medicine house we go... The first thing noticeably different about Banishing Ritual is how comparably shorter it is to the band's first two full-lengths. But its deceiving brevity steps up to the contest as one lengthy 41-minute tune, so I'd still call it a formidable motherfuckin' beast, even if it is shorter than the first two records by a good half hour. The second most evident shift is the fact that this record is probably the least metallic sounding piece of music the band has recorded to date, but still manages to be the darkest and most haunting. Less than 5-minutes worth of Banishing Ritual is actually devoted to conventional metal clobbering with plodding, pow-wow-rhythmic riffs (right after the 13:00 mark. And it's a doozy -- like a 900lb bear giving you cardiopulmonary resuscitation). So, if you're looking for a "straight-up metal album to kick your ass," this ain't really gonna be your thing; Blood of the Black Owl has never really been too concerned with myopic metal fans. The most notable transformation in the BotBO camp, however, is the sheer amount of focus given to casting this particular spell with what I can only think to call "dark ambient music." It's almost as if Mr. Scott has sealed himself in a room for the last year with nothing but records from the likes of Elegy, Dead Letters Spell Out Words, Nordvargr or B.J. Nilsen, and it fits his dark vision beautifully. Large spans of 10-minutes-plus are devoted to building "heaviness" with glacially expanding drifts of cavernous sine-waves that crest and crush the listener when melded with the band's signature use of indigenous instruments and sporadic use of ghostly/grumbly vocals. The entire first quarter of Banishing Ritual features a billowing chambered "darkness" that eventually ushers in Native American drum rhythms, crashes and flashes of floating flute. And this "cavernous darkness" returns following the relatively brief riffing measure at the 13:00 mark to be carried alongside a slowly crescendo-ing eccentric organ pulse that's spotted with echoed grumble-growled howls of "I will stab...and cut" and "I consume...your hate" -- a rather unsettling thunderhead that billows and eventually shrouds the brain when experienced in a nice set of headphones. Whispers and rattling wind chimes eventually steer the spell towards a surprisingly quiet start to the last quarter of the record with gently plucked electric guitar/bass and the album's strongest lean on hissing and spoken vocals. But the calm once again leisurely leads to the storm as the last 5-minutes of the trance pock the brain with demented keyboards, rhythmic pounding and generous scoops of blackened howls and screeches that definitely finishes the record on a deliciously unsettling note. I've been on board for the entire Blood of the Black Owl journey, but found Banishing Ritual to be the most auspicious material to date from these brooding Shamans of the Northwest. It's too bad, really, because according to the Bindrune Records website, this album marks the closing of a chapter for the band as they put things on hiatus while Mr. Scott focuses his full attention on his other indigenous project, Ruhr Hunter. But, I think it's best to look at this as yet another example of the ever-spinning Ouroboros: He may have finally caught up to his tail, but that doesn't necessarily signify a conclusion. I certainly count myself as one who hopes the cycle eventually continues. Definitely recommended to the more adventurous metal fan who's not afraid of taking a fascinating tumble into the dark recesses of... AQUARIUS RECORDS BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" A brand new record, the third since 2007 (not counting the split with Celestiial, whose awesome new record is also reviewed this list), from these doom metal / post-rock / black metal / doom-folk / black ambient alchemists, the same folks who explore the darker regions of the spirit with their black ambient project Ruhr Hunter, although it's hard to imagine there's any place darker than whatever strange world Blood Of The Black Owl draw inspiration from. The opening movement of this single 41 minute epic (separated into 4 parts) finds the band spinning a black web of grim churning low end, softly roiling, like staring into a black hole, a bottomless abyss, dotted with dying stars, while over the top a guitar is strummed, unfurling a crystalline arrangement of glimmering notes, hovering above the inky blackness, a strange unearthly black folk, nearly static, mesmerizing and trancelike, eventually drums come in and the sound shifts dramatically, to something much more abstract and rhythmic, a sort of spaced out doomic skitter, which grows more and more ethereal, the bass buzzing, and a fluttering flute, marking a folky segue into the second movement, a much heavier down tuned dirge, a churning riffy crunch, that quickly dissipates into a cloud of chiming tones, disembodied voices and blackened shimmer before flitting back to that riffy pound although this time accompanied by some new age-sounding synth. The third movement explodes in a burst of blinding feedback, only to dissolve into a washed out, ambient doom plod, the drums a distant pound, the sounds hazy and druggy, a lysergic sprawl of blackened psychedelia, that gives way to the final movement, a dark, low slung, almost Bohren like stretch of slow-core crawl, all whispered vocals, softly strummed guitar, barely there effects, a hushed drift that slowly builds to a fierce pounding electronic flecked shoegazey dirge, with growled vox, tribal drumming, a glorious crescendo, emotional and intense, finally dropping out, leaving a single voice to call out, then silence. Incredible as always, and totally recommended for anyone into avant emotional heaviness and mysterious sonic darkness.. SEATTLE SINNER by John Cole BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" In the words of Nick Cave, "all things must come to an end." With this said, no other album in existence behooves this significant moment of the serpent devouring its tail. The circle has become complete & through these works The Sinner says adieu, along with this writer whom may or may not return in other forms. As one source has it, this is also the final album of BotBO, which becomes even more fitting for its appearance in these pages. As ouroboros chokes on its on being, the serpent is devoured and therefore expunged, banished into other realms not seen by the normal eye. For those who are familiar with Chet W. Scott & James Woodhead, previous incarnations in other musical projects simply will not do in allowing you a semblance of familiarity in this unexplored territory. Bringing forth incantations which are channeled through the spirit of one Daniel Ellis Harrod, the shadow world we all must face is revealed, only to be cast away. The dark night of the soul is a truth of all existence. It is only through traveling through the battlefields that we can reach the proverbial Golden Hall. First we must find the courage to travel this path, and as the music slowly builds up this becomes a possibility. After the Statement of INTENT the eerie dissonance is overcome, and the apparitions within can be cast out. Through will and courage one survives this album, none are merely listeners. This is a journey, a ritual to quite literally banish those who attempt to drag us down into the pits of whatever fiery depths the human imagination conjures into a tangible reality. Things grow in intensity, often frightening the listener to turn away and return to the safety. Yet this can not and will not be done, for the journey must be completed. Once the Intent and Statement have become manifestations, the gallant voice of Chet drags us on, albeit kicking and screaming. Then, a moment of solace, the pain evaporates into the drips of bliss which in time will drop from the serpents tongue. This foreboding calm is only a moment to gather one's strength. One more part of the journey has yet to be traveled, and the fool must go on. A Final Banishing to never allow again the aphetic state of previous incarnations to create doubt about who we are. A frantic voice grows close to panic, knowing what must be done, and screaming the intent, a Will that is unwavering. As you become dust, the shadows only become filters of the light. Spring in itself becomes death, the death of Winter, and the battle continues. A past is banished, revealing new forms, new incarnations for us to mold into. Blood of the Black Owl has created "A Banishing Ritual", which allows every listener to embark on this journey along with all of its readers and writers...Now we banish the spirit of our former self, not to end, but to begin who we shall be. ROCKFREAKS.NET BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" Another Bindrune Recording, and another mind-altering hypnotic experience. Seattle residents Blood of the Black Owl here on third album "A Banishing Ritual" practice a sound both punishing and cathartic to listen to in a style nestled somewhere amongst the genres of black ambient, funeral doom and drone, and with one song spanning it's 41-minute duration it's no easy ride, having taken me a number of listens to fully comprehend the spiritual and evocative meanings locked up within it. The press release states this album as an "outpouring of emotions and [a] cleansing of past stains on ones life"; a description that while more pertinent to the feelings of it's creators can still be viewed empathetically in the deeply emotive and transcendental layers across the album. Beginning with a long droning introduction and the sound of faint guitar strumming coming ever more into the mix against a backdrop of radiation-like noise, an invoking sense of terror is hard to avoid as the piece slowly comes into life, implanting all the while images in my mind of vast, dark natural landscapes being overcome by forces too great for it's own good. This tone eventually changes around the 8-minute mark to include both industrial sounding drumming as well as the first evidence of a discernible rhythm from some folk-sounding percussion that is as difficult to describe as it can be to listen to. As the song moves onwards we are introduced to a flute-like woodwind instrument and echoing, cavernous vocals before after 13 minutes the first signs of 'metal' appear with the drumming taking a more common shape behind a bass-heavy pure doom metal riff, showcasing the variety of influences that have gone into BotBO's sound. Direct comparisons is difficult in the explaining of this but with it's ranges from Sunn O))) drone, Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine and Asunder ponderous funeral doom, Jotunspor nihilistic ambience and the strained folk soundings of Wardruna, "A Banishing Ritual" has the potential to appeal to a wide cross-section of extreme music fans as an alternative and experimental album with huge depth in scope and sound. The last 25 minutes exude a dissonant spooky sound with the style set similar to the droning soundscape on show earlier taken to the fore. In the midst of losing all sense of time the repeated, distorted vocal lines of "I consume your hate", reminding me of Celtic Frost's "Monotheist" record, suggest a sense of painful release for those behind the Blood of the Black Owl exterior as the minutes crawl by, slowly shifting the patterns of the music blissfully ignorant of the need for any defined song structures or tempos to engage the listener in. This dirge in tempo is obviously not going to be for everyone, and neither is "A Banishing Ritual" listening suited for all occasions, but it's abstract nature and vast levels of inertia have made for me a subtly powerful listen and an album I would recommend for those with a tendency for left-field musical choices and the need for musical accompaniment when one is feeling morose and alone. [7½] TEETH OF THE DIVINE BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" And so the fittingly titled last album from Chet Scott (aided by Daniel Ellis Harrod and James Woodhead), closes the chapter on what has been one of the more interesting and introspective metal projects of the last few years with a deeply personal and almost completely ambient album. Where as Scott’s last two albums, the debut Blood of the Black Owl and 2008's A Feral Spirit were transcendental and at time tribal takes on plodding blacked drone, doom, A Banishing Ritual is almost all melancholy atmospherics, FX, programming and a seemingly cathartic album that runs as one 41 minute journey into one man’s soul. And while (at least on my ipod) only one of the 4 ‘movements’ contains any actual riffs or metal or any sort, the albums mainly organic, ritualistic throes are commanding and hypnotic enough to keep your attention. Continuing the almost Native American/tribal atmosphere of A Feral Spirit, the ambience is heavy on naturalistic sounds and woodwind or organic instruments, though backed by a deep industrial hum. The journey is one that seems befitting a smoke filled Wigwam with various shamanistic elements, rattling, hissing, and chanting. 13 minutes or so into the cleansing ritual, the albums only real metal arises with three minutes of a thunderous, doomy riff before a haunting string drone and robotic chant kicks in for a lengthy segue. The last movement starts as a despondent acoustic mantra that morphs into a discordant shimmer with some pained shrieks that seem to have Scott and co exercise any remaining personal demons and lay Blood of the Black Owl to rest as he moves onto his other project Ruhr Hunter.. METAL PSALTER BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" This is some serious rabbit-hole music. A Banishing Ritual opens with an “In the Beginning…” empty-space drone ebbing and flowing just within the outer limits of perception. Over the next twelve minutes a chorus of voices emerges slowly, crying out of the din. First an orgy of clattering bells lays down pseudo-rhythm, then the tom-tom rain dance calls, shakers and sifting sand respond. All the while the drone grows subtly louder, that demon always nagging in your ear, until the first movement ends with a flute triumphantly holding the fort. That’s the first twelve minutes. The next movement seems out of place. Blood of the Black Owl invokes the Neurosis-inspiration of the first two albums, and until the ritual resumes we’re left clambering to get back in the boat, adrift on a diversion that will satisfy the scene police that this is metal but will not satisfy the discerning acolyte looking for continuation from the brilliant and captivating overture. Mountainous riffs, indecipherable ranting of the demon-found-a-voice, all crammed into three minutes of distraction in the otherwise seamless flow. They do not make an easy task for the neurotic classifiers. I guess this is Native-American-folk-ambient-black-doom. It’s a tough task for the reviewer when there are no comparisons and no interpretative entryways. At one time this was considered too close to the band’s heart to release to the public, and it shows. Frustratingly impenetrable most of its forty one minutes, this music doesn’t offer you a helping hand with familiar European composition. Maybe A Banishing Ritual calls for don Juan Matus to be looking over your shoulder. You might need a brujo in this realm of anti-linearity. Feel free to dissociate your spirit and take your ears with you. The resolution is ambiguous. Is the demon banished? As the ritual comes to a close there appear more conventional structures to re-associate you with the “real” world, but with the wailing rasps in the background there’s no indication that this house is clear. Still haunted? Perhaps. A Banishing Ritual is ouroboric, what it invokes has no beginning or end. This isn’t a journey because it transcends time and space. Blood of the Black Owl offers not a quick and easy exorcism but an arrow in your quiver with which to arm your soul. Thank Bindrune Recordings for not tying down their evidently boundless creativity by posing them in headdresses and smoking peace pipes. Too many listeners crave obviousness because they don’t want a challenge, but give this a chance despite the learning curve. Try different sets-and-settings. Can’t offer assurances here that anyone will like it, as not having walked in the artists’ moccasins for a lifetime tends frustrate knowing A Banishing Ritual, but it’s a worthy purchase celebrating the perseverance of will. MTUK METAL ZINE BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" It took a few albums but I really wanted to have a proper listen to this band as soon as I clapped eyes on their name. Blood Of The Black owl sounds like a fantastic title from a 70s’ movie, either a Giallo in the tradition of having an animal named in the title or something revolving around an ancient Red Indian curse. In fact as I listened to this for the first time it did strike me as musically having a fair bit in common with the second of these ideas. After all it is called ‘A Banishing Ritual’ and secondly there are many sounds within that do remind of the rituals of the Native Americans as they are politically correctly referred to today. America is fast becoming a hotbed for bands that play a style pitched somewhere between black metal and doom. I am quite tempted to describe it as blackened post doom and many of the practitioners have a strong ecological slant. Snapping on the heels of Wolves In The Throne Room and Agalloch the two most well known there are a host of others such as the mysterious Fauna, In Gowan Ring and L'acephale, specifically bands coming from the Cascadian region (Pacific Northwest region of North America). They are all well worth exploring and if you have not already dipped into things Blood Of The Black Owl could be a good starting point. This is basically one 41 minute track and the band’s third album and it really is a journey from beginning to end, perhaps akin to the musical equivalent of a peyote trip. Apparently it is so personal to the musicians that they at one time considered it too close to the heart to release for public consumption. On pressing play there is a sinister throbbing which gradually builds up around the listener. With what sounds like a tambourine quietly in the background this has a mesmerizing feel to it which can be taken in a ritualistic and even shamanic sense. This snakes out like a nest of rattlers shaking their tales and infuses a mystic state which is heady as a flute comes in and breathes extra life to the rite. When guitar and drum come in you are snapped back in part to the modern world realizing that you are listening to something contemporary. The two worlds mix together in an organic stew, a 70’s sounding keyboard quietly weaves in the background and voices can be heard perhaps casting spells around them too. Vocals do eventually howl in and there is a definite black metal emphasis on things, in fact I am reminded of Xasthur more than anything here but the music which is by now glistening around them is a completely different affair. This album was not dissimilar than I had preconceived ideas of it sounding and it certainly did not disappoint. If anything it has made me want to go and listen to what came before it and other bands I have not heard from Cascadian America. CIUDAD METAL ON-LINE RADIO / WEBZINE BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" "A Banishing Ritual" Translated: The present ritual sounds in the third album of Blood Of The Black Owl induce to a hypnotic critical moment. The proposal of the Americans is dense and intense. Its more recent plate consists of a unique subject, “To Ritual Banishing (Into White)”, of 41 minutes of duration. In them they are combined doom of made drowsy tempos, repetitive, soporific, and the compass of a ceremonial native of purification of souls or approach to the divinity. “To Ritual Banishing” it is an album that does not accept red averages. Or to his it turns it languor into a intolerable disc or its liturgical character forces to submerge completely in the emotions that their composers tried to shape. Chet W. Scott, Daniel Harrod and James Woodhead, members of the project, aimed that this one is a too personal work, and they even considered in a while it very intimate like publishing it of commercial way. However, and for benefit of those who they like of experimental pieces, the band chose to share its proposal. FUNERAL RAIN BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" So here’s another review for Bindrune Recordings, a label that instantly became a favorite of mine the second I heard Wodensthrone’s Loss. When I got the opportunity to review the new Blood of the Black Owl, I was fairly excited. And with reason. This is a well regarded band, on a well regarded label. But when I started to listen to A Banishing Ritual, I must admit, I was a little disappointed. It seemed, at first, just like any other ambient/drone album. 41 minutes of the same shit does get tiring even for me... Then it got to the 13 minute and 14 or so second mark. And that’s when I really took notice. It’s like Blood of the Black Owl decided to weed out the asshats for fifteenish minutes, and whoever is left listening to the rest will be blown away. This is one of the finest examples of this kind of music I’ve heard so far. Haunting vocals and some of the doomiest riffs and gorgeous soundscapes follow... I love it. Apparently it’s for fans of Ruhr Hunter, The Elemental Chrysalis (both of those bands feature members of Blood of the Black Owl), Neurosis, Celtic Frost, and Swans. But I think fans of My Dying Bride, November’s Doom, The 11th Hour, and Moss will find something to A Banishing Ritual that they enjoy as well. 7.5 out of 10. MUSIQUE MACHINE BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "A Banishing Ritual" ‘A Banishing Ritual’ is album number three from Chet Scott’s (of Ruhr Hunter, Elemental Chrysalis and Glass throat records) metallic & folk/rock project Blood of the Black Owl. And it sees him offering up a single track in four 'movements', which offers up 40 minutes worth of ritual, primal & experimental sonic matter that mixers together elements of: doom, black metal, industrial, drone & brooding ambience, folk, rock & tribal music into a very distinctive & original sonic vision. The album opens with ‘Intent (Movement I)’ which starts fittingly enough with a single gong tone that is morphed quickly into this thick, brooding & discordant drone haze. By the three minute mark you become aware of this rapidly strummed, stuck and at times ringing guitar element that seems to make the brooding & discordant drone(that’s now throbbing in a wonderful malevolent way) feel very strange, trance educing & urgent. By the eight minute mark tribal industrial drums have been added to the mix that are edged with native Indian rattle tones & rain stick shuffle, which really brings even more urgency & atmosphere to the track. The first ‘movement’ of the track ends off with echoed & 'going to hunt' like flute patterns that are sailed over the pounding & brooding back drop of percussion & drone texture with Scott’s vocals swishing roughly & muffled at the edge of the track. The second movement ‘The Statement of Will (Movement II)’kicks in with brutal & forest blacked doom riff stomp, before we drop into disquieted & soundtrack like dwell of sourly weaved guitar tones, analogue synth hovers & Scott’s primal & throaty mad man of the woods growl. By the three minute mark the riff kicks back in sounding more Viking & Bathory like with a harmonic & epic top layer of guitar weaving melody. The we’re into ‘Chant of the Captured Spirit (Movement III)’ which dips down into more brooding industrial pagan dwell & stuck tone hover with looped analogue organ buzz, primal drum brood & buried chants. Later on ethereal, hazy & synthetic horn drifts appear along with growing doomed guitar texturing & Scott’s deep primal vocals; which rise like guttural & strange animal calls from the track. By the eight minute mark Scott’s vocals change from primal murmurings up to more recognizable vocals as he intones “I will stab & cut, I consume your hate..” his vocals continue as wolf howls are added to the Intensify & thicken the sound mix. Then we’re into the last chapter or movement of the track which is entitled ‘The Final Banishing (Movement IV)’ and here the sonic picture thins out once more with acoustic bass chilling folk spaced wonderings that are soon joined by Scott’s layered vocals which are a mixture of: whispers, guttural moans, backwards murmurs & reverbed mumbles. At the seven minute thirty mark the track stops briefly before coming back once more as weaving & slightly sour mix of demented fairground organ, long, blacked & muffled metal guitar textures and Harmonic 80’s art guitar detail & guttural yet pained Burzum like vocals. ‘A Banishing Ritual’ is a highly distinctive. primal & emotional sonic ride into nature’s spirit & the forests twisting ’n’ turning forces. It’s a work of great power, broodiness & atmosphere showing once more Scott in excellent, original & inspired form..