Infinity Ritual - II (EP 2023)

II (EP 2023) https://www.facebook.com/InfinityRitual https://infinityritual.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/infinityritual https://www.infinityritual.com The new EP was recorded and mixed by studio wizard Sam Johnson at Rhythm Ace in Oakura, mastered by Chris Chetland at KOG Mastering, and sees the Taranaki trio delivering their trademark sound, a groovy wall of doom, merged with solid doses of rock and stoner rock. The recording process for the EP started with drums alone, with no click tracks or accompanying guides from any other instruments or vocals – it is simply Mark Thomas playing the tracks from memory from start to finish by himself. It was a new approach for Rhythm Ace's studio maestro Sam Johnson, as he had to wait for the layers to be added over subsequent sessions to discover what the song was going to become. Infinity Ritual always bring to Rhythm Ace studios a range of different guitar and bass amps and heads, all turned up to a wall rattling volume, and they make use of a range of varied techniques to capture different tones and effects. A blend of all of these give the band their heavy full sound. The band offers the following analysis of the songs featured in this new EP: Once again “II” showcases Adam’s very distinctive voice, at the forefront on “Earthdriver” and “Deceivers”. On this EP you will hear Jason’s vocal growl bursting through on “Succession” and “Stones”. Mark is hidden there in a couple of places too. The track “FCG (Intro)” only appears on the vinyl edition of the “II” EP, as an extended intro to the song Succession, which was originally developed under the working title “Ford Cap Guy” – this moniker refers to long term band supporter Alex Bool who is never seen without his customary “Ford” cap. You’ll regularly find Ford Cap Guy at local shows, beer in hand and yelling “Comoooooonn!” – it was a perfect fit to have Alex drop into the studio and provide his signature yell to help kick off the record. He even has his own dedicated Facebook page – “Ford Cap Guy”. “Succession” took its final form only a couple of weeks before recording began. Prior to this, the working track had been several minutes shorter and relatively basic in structure, but the band devised a new arrangement which had to be quickly adapted for the sessions. One of the band favourites to play live, “Succession” has a brutally memorable riff to kick off the EP. Earthdriver was borne of jam sessions leading up to the studio dates, with the various grinding riffs and cosmic solo sections coalescing during tracking. The track “Deceivers” has been part of the live repertoire for some time now, but it wasn’t quite ready to record for the first EP. It is now fully developed and has a real identity of its own, especially with the unusual time signature. Thematically the song centres around the deception of modern charlatans. The whole second side of the vinyl EP is taken up with the epic 18 minute 50 second track “Stones”. The band are really proud of this song – a multipart monster incorporating massive riffs, backwards masking, Moog synthesizer effects, and various drone inspired instrumental sections. The band worked out a general plan for the structure and arrangement of “Stones” prior to going into the studio, but a lot of the track came to being during tracking where different ideas burst into life with Sam Johnson having the knowledge and ability to turn what the band were thinking into reality very quickly. “Stones” is a real journey – put your headphones on in a dark room and enjoy the ride. ==== FCG (Intro) 00:00 Succession 01:52 Earthdriver 08:23 Deceivers 13:11 Stones 20:46 ==== ***** Support the Channel Buy a Coffee for 666MrDoom https://ko-fi.com/666mrdoom ******