After discovering the trippy band last month, Dream Ritual released their new EP ‘Trips Around the Sun’ at the end of March. It’s half an hour or supreme grungey psyche rock. I clumsily decided Dream Ritual were pioneers of ‘Kaleidoscope Rock’ – a genre name I’d pulled out of thin air – but the more I listen to the EP, the more it feels like a great descriptor.
After a rock raj opening piece the guitars and in full swing with the muddy and trashing ‘Faster’. The hooks speed in, the vocals are muffled and alt-rock friendly and the speed is… well, fast! It’s a college radio classic in waiting and sets up the centrepiece of the album. The title track ‘Trips Around the Sun’ is split into two songs – part 1 and part 2. Part 1 is a psychedelia leaning rock anthem. There are elements of so many 90’s bands you could pull out, but the who aesthetic has an Eastern flow to it until the band switches gears for the guitar solos. Even then, it’s less about intricate guitar playing and more around the power of frequency phasing. The whole vibe is intent of making you a hippy goth. Part 2 carries the same chorus and hook but is essentially a set smashing three-minute extended outro. Often these things can feel awkward but it doesn’t here because it switches energy gears and cranks it up a notch further.
After being on full charge for four tracks, ‘Outside Your Window’ takes Dream Ritual into a mid-tempo sludgy track. Here we get wild west vibes with the thick guitar riffs shining through but placed into a plugged rock number. Single ‘Stone’ is a superb track. The drummer is absolutely on fire with their breakdowns and the chorus is everything my 90’s MTV memories longed for. ‘Shot in the Back’ acts as it’s a twin to ‘Stone’. The two tracks are similarly paced and themed but this time around the duelling guitar solo’s take centre stage as the extended instrumental section slowly fades out. A dramatic marching ‘Outro’ feels a little unneeded as the previous track ends the EP perfectly fine but it does no harm.
‘Trips Around the Sun’ is easily one of my favourite rock releases so far in 2019. The gelled together grungy craftmanship deceives you about how well crafted both the melodies and the band as a whole is. Each piece fits perfectly together and when they add in a little trippy essence to their potent mix – it’s a winner formula.
Recommended track: Stone
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Dream Ritual - Trips Around the Sun
