Review: Ritual King ‘The Futureworks Sessions’
It’s strange that in some quarters, people are ‘celebrating’ or ‘remembering’ the 5th anniversary of the Pandemic. Of course, it is right to acknowledge the sacrifice made by those judged as keyworkers and honour the passing of loved ones, yet the local rag I used to work for (or rather, the national conglomerate that now owns them and their social media page) ran a series of posts asking ‘what are your best memories’ of 5 years ago.
Best memories? For fuck’s sake…
Sure, the UK experienced a glorious stretch of weather we don’t seem to have enjoyed since, I relished the one-on-one time with my kids, but being stuck alone, uncertain of the future, working from home and unable to get the catharsis of seeing live music was a serious toll on my mental health.
One thing that did emerge from this period was the in-studio ‘live’ streaming/virtual concerts that kept us going; Clutch’s Doom Saloon sessions were a particular highlight – As was the Roadburn Redux, which led to one of my favourite live, but not really, records Phanerozoic Live by The Ocean that saw the German post-metal crew perform their acclaimed 2018 and 2020 albums in very different but equally spectacular formats.
So, it is slightly curious, but certainly not unwelcome, to see Ritual King, the Manchester UK heavy psych trio, throwback to this format and release The Futurework Sessions, a ‘live’ studio album that draws together highlights from their 2020 self-titled debut and the highly praised follow-up, 2023’s The Infinite Mirror.
Whilst three years separate the two original releases, it is easy to chart the band’s growth and the expansion of the ideas that were born from their initial forays into the sludgy, heavy blues trip that was writ large on the last album. Here the track listing is balanced in a three-a-piece structure like I imagine The Infinite Mirror tour setlist would be where the band opens with a one-two punch of new material, slows it down for an old-school callback and eventually ramps it up with the epic number sitting just before the sure-fire knock out of the finest debut track. It might be a tried and tested formula, but it exists for a reason, and even if it shorns of that raw, truly live mix and crowd feedback, it makes for a great soundtrack.
Opening with the pairing of Flow State and Worlds Divide, the first observation is the slight deviation in run times, with the newer versions clocking in just a touch longer than their album counterparts. Of course, this can be explained away as simply the big rock intro with rattling cymbals to Flow State before the band settles into the rolling grooves.
Doing away with the acoustic dalliances, it is immediately heavier but loses none of that smokey haze and otherworldly feel as Jordan Leppitt’s flawless and hypnotic vocals soar and dive over the swampy tones. With their heady mixture of King Buffalo/Earthless psych and harder-hitting Atomic Bitchwax-style blues rock, they draw out the contrasting dynamics to possibly even greater effect than on The Infinite Mirror.
infused with the raw spirit that makes watching a band lost in their own environment so real and authentic…
Worlds Divide kicks things up a gear as it fades into existence with the thundering pulse and murky sound of Dan Godwin’s bass. As the guitar burns and noodles over the grungy rhythms and pounding of Gareth Hodges drums, it is manna from desert rock heaven with the ringing mantra of the title. Feeling less clinical and with a deeper low end than the studio album, the band are looser and more at home in a way that mimics a truly live setting.
Stepping back in time to No Compromise from their debut, the bright beginning is replaced by the thick, rumbling bass before they get into the jazz-like swing of the jam room stop-start, blue-collar improvised workout. Adding nearly a full minute to the running time, the band stretch their musicianship but never reach the point of mindless overindulgence.
Continuing the experimental portion of the set, Landmass adds to the cosmic journey with dazzling solos and moodier psych vibes. After the muted tom beginnings and low vocal crooning, the retro influences come to the fore. Probably more so than any other track on The Futurework Sessions, this taps into the feel of the performance and the organic nature of the band playing live together really shines.
Headspace slows the pace with the delicious fuzz and meandering exploration that marks out the first album material before the smouldering sounds of The Infinite Mirror with its astral guitar loops and nuanced space rock looks to transport you into another realm of red-eyed euphoria.
Closing with Valleys, the opening of their eponymous debut echoes the sparse nature of the original with the simple bass refrain and build to the down-tuned groove. As the melodies are punctuated by the minimal, fleeting vocals among the ripping guitar solos and chugging up-tempo passages, the band go for the finish line with a driving determination and all the panache you would expect from a live performance.
Named after the Futureworks Studios in Salford where the sessions were recorded, this stop-gap release is intended to be a celebration of Ritual King’s musical journey, marking five years since the release of their self-titled debut album. These versions are a perfect snapshot of the trio’s trajectory, and whilst they lack some of the precision and smoothness of the previously recorded versions, they bring a synergy to the two sets of material and are infused with the raw spirit that makes watching a band lost in their own environment so real and authentic.
Label: Ripple Music
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
