Ritual Machines fulfills its promise: a hypnotic, otherworldly passage through exploratory electronics, guided by ceremonial rhythm, subterranean resonance, and a persistent sense of sonic invocation.
Tightening tension without breaking stride
A ritual pulse runs through these pieces by Memory Effect—earthy, incantatory, driven by low, rumbling currents that feel unearthed rather than produced. Echoes of early Plaid and Amon Tobin flicker at the edges, yet dissolve into punchy, abstract rhythmic forces that seem to arrive from some distant periphery. Field recordings collide with beats and bass in a raw, cohesive surge, rugged design flowing like water yet grounded by a deep, tribal throb.
Tomas Freegard, working under this moniker, opens the seven-track release with “Advancing Feathers,” a statement of intent where hybrid soundscapes and instrumental fragments merge in a relentless push forward. “Bedhead” continues this descent into shadowed terrain, pairing brisk melodic traces with a slow-motion undercurrent, dipping into funk-laced industrial electronics while threading in environmental fragments that feel tactile and immediate. Its progression leans further into mechanical unease, tightening tension without breaking stride.
Within these darker strands, Freegard appears most at home—“Into the Castle” pierces through illbient-jazz atmospheres and ritual tones, shifting away from shadow into a warmer, molten drift reminiscent of island-born sonic flows. “Sea Dust” glides in familiar Hawaiian-tinged quarters, unfolding piece by piece, beat by beat, into a sonic lava flow. Closing piece “Yarl” settles into a downtempo sway that recalls the spirit of Tri Repetae, balancing on the edge of ambient score and vaporous noise strata.
Ritual Machines fulfills its promise: a hypnotic, otherworldly passage through exploratory electronics, guided by ceremonial rhythm, subterranean resonance, and a persistent sense of sonic invocation.
Ritual Machines is available on Augment. [Bandcamp]
