I haven't been into Rituals of the Oak for a long time. The first I had heard of them was their 2011 split LP with Apostle of Solitude and The Flight of Sleipnir. Rituals of the Oak only contributed one song, but it was a monstrous 17 minute doom masterpiece that blew the other two bands away.
The major selling point to Rituals of the Oak is that they are a no bullshit/no frills doom band. They write music that stands on its own, and they are smart enough to let their vocalist Sabine Hamad-Linfoot take center stage by writing riffs to compliment her singing rather than competing with her.
All of this continues to hold true for their new album "Come Taste the Doom". And despite having such a silly album name, and not to mention album art that looks like similar to something I made in photoshop when I was 14, it is largely a breath of fresh air. Contrast this album with something like the new Uzula, both with great female vocalists, but the latter buries their vocals behind mediocre riffs or distracting effects pedals. Everybody is trying to reinvent doom and give it their own unique sound, but that is damn near impossible at this point. Rituals of the Oak don't need to worry about lame gimmicks or getting "cvlt" (pronounced kah-vult) approved album art because they fucking rock too hard to worry about that bullshit.
Rituals of the Oak - "All Wells Are Poisoned"
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