KILL RITUAL – Kill Star Black Mark Dead Hand Pierced Heart

Kill Ritual is releasing their new album Kill Star Black Mark Dead Hand Pierced Heart on Massacre Records. This is their sixth album and it will be available in CD, Limited Edition Vinyl, and digital formats on various platforms such as Spotify.

The Good

Although this album is on the faster and heavier side of the Metal genre, Kill Ritual knocked it out of the park with “I am the Night.” This song is a slow, very theatrical song that sounds like it could have been played during some dark fantasy movie from the ‘80s. In fact, one of the first images that comes to mind was a scene from “The Labyrinth.” This song sounds like something David Bowie would have wrote for that movie in particular. The way the music is much slower and Chalice Blood’s voice mingles with the atmosphere, this song is by far the highlight of the entire record.

Aside from “I am the Night” there are some other good aspects of this album. The music is fast on all other songs and will impress any fan of Metal. The sound quality is every bit of what you would expect from many big name bands on a major label.

What’s Not So Good?

It’s weird to say this, but the vocals on this record were not a good fit for the music. Somewhere between a deeper, almost growl, all the way to high pitched singing. It just doesn’t fit to well with lyrics such as those on “Whore of War.” “Suck her tits and beg for more, who do you think you’re killing for?” don’t really match the voice that is singing them.

Final Thoughts

This album is an okay release overall. Aside from “I am the Night” there a few other songs, such as “7 Knives,” that will get heavy play from metalheads. Not to mention the music is composed very well and sound quality is great, but the vocals throw it off a bit. Understanding that music is subjective, others might disagree, and that’s perfectly fine. Find the new album and tell us what you think.

Tracklisting

1. By the Hand of God
2. The Whore of War
3. 7 Knives
4. I am the Night
5. The Smell of Death
6. Can You See Us Now?
7. Kill Star Black Mark Dead Hand Pierced Heart
8. Get in Line
9. The Devil, The Mist, The Flame

Lineup

Chalice Blood – Lead Vocals
Steven D. Rice – Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals, Bass
David Alusik – Bass
Seamus Gleason – Drums