Ελληνικά
Genre: Black’n’Roll
Country: Italy
Label: Art of Propaganda
Year: 2015
It does worth spending some time finding out about the band’s name, some of the song titles they have, the name of the album as well as it’s intriguing artwork. After you’ve processed the above with Whiskey Ritual, you should be familiar with the dangers of it’s content and it’s all on you to go on or leave it be permanently. The Italian band crafts the so called “black’n’roll” sound, which might sound like it’s self-conflicting but it really isn’t.
Blow with the Devil is the third and most consistent record of the band, with ten compositions and about the same length as before. I expected to listen to something really goofy, because most of the times bands like these are not taken seriously, with their funny titles and childish themes.
I had that perspective with this one too, but musically it won the battle, there’s some really raw and nice black metal melodies here. Whiskey Ritual sound like a regular black metal band that acquired GG Allin as a frontman, lyrically and musically. While the core of the music is black metal, there is enough punk in the patterns and tempos. The aesthetic of the band would also fit in any noise rock or GG Allin related album.
Tracks like the self-titled one or “My Funeral”, are close to fast paced black metal, while others like “Speed n Chicks” and “Nekro Street Gang” are more or less middle paced, and walk on more rock-ish texture. I can’t understand the lyrics and I would really like to see what they’re talking about, like in the track “Henry Rollins”. What would Whiskey Ritual have to say about him?
One aspect of the album I didn’t like that much and kept me from full enjoyment, are it’s vocals. In some moments, the shrieks of the singer sound peculiar and I think he could do much better. If you check “Too Drunk for Love”, at the point where he shouts without a distorted guitar behind him, it’s hysterical and it spoils it for me. Same happens again and again in the album. It’s the same problem Fukpig suffer from, on an almost unrelated matter.
The point of Blow with the Devil is simple and filthy, for fans of the hostile underground. If you’re too strict with the technicality of an album, don’t even be bothered. On the other hand, if you want something intense and scourging, Blow with the Devil is for you and make sure to watch the video clip for the track “Blow with the Devil”, depicting how rotten humanity has been at certain times.
3,5/6
