The Rite: The Brocken Fires (2018)

I was a little surprised by what this band sounded like.  Based on the name of the band and the album cover, I was expecting possibly a traditional doom metal album, maybe something in the vein of The Reverend Bizarre.  Despite the demonic presence on the album cover, the vintage artwork seems to be the kind of thing a doom metal band might unearth.  And so it was a little surprising that The Rite is much more of a black metal band, though with some obvious doom metal in their sound.

This is a short EP with five tracks, one of those being a fairly typical creepy intro.  The last song "Acid Orgy" is a Goatlord cover (that would be the U.S. Goatlord, the more active of the several bands called Goatlord).  Upon examining closer the song titles, I should have expected the cold black metal that emanates from the speakers.  Not many traditional doom metal bands have prayers to Satan and pacts with Hell, and whatnot.

I do love the guitar tone on this release, particularly in the first real song "A Pact with Hell".  It is appropriately dark and doomy, and sinister as all Hell.  The title track is where the real doom metal sound comes in, with its slow-burning malevolence and creeping riffs that builds into a frenetic crescendo destined to break some necks.  It is easily the best song on the EP.

This is a nasty little gem of an EP.  I find myself going back to it frequently.  I am hoping the band releases a full-length soon.