This is the debut album from US death/doom metallers Ritual Ascension.
Profanation of the Adamic Covenant contains five tracks that spread out over 48 minutes like a virulent plague. Brought to us by members of Aberration, Feral Light, Suffering Hour, and Void Rot, Ritual Ascension deliver unto us unworthy listeners a monstrously abyssal amalgamation of death and doom metal.
Profanation of the Adamic Covenant exudes menace. The album is a monolith of darkness. It has a foundation of glacial doom that drips with cold malevolence, into which has seeped the foulest of grim death metal, further polluting the music’s esoteric core. A blackened miasma permeates everything, coating the music in an aura of arcane misery and dispair. The doom, however…the doom rules everything.
The songs are oppressive and atmospheric, with bursts of violence that erupt on occasion, shattering the doom-driven bedrock. The band craft songs that are mood-focused, no matter the speed. Much of the material unfolds at a funeral dirge, but even when they are at their most aggressive Ritual Ascension build and sustain nightmarescapes that draw the listener in, immerse them in the darkness, and then crush their spirit.
There’s a lot to like about Profanation of the Adamic Covenant, but one thing I’ll point out is how textured the album is. The music has a central style – a hideous nightmare one – but Ritual Ascension have not just made the same song five times over. Obviously they all share stylistic features, but within this there is variety, detailing, ideas, and performances that serve to differentiate each song from the others.
Ritual Ascension have constructed a fearsome debut album. I expected good things from Profanation of the Adamic Covenant due to the pedigree of the members involved, and I have not been disappointed.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 