Album Review: Modern Rituals – This Is The History

If all Modern Rituals had to offer was the walloping noise rock of album highlight The Bull Never Wins, they’d still be an attention-grabbing prospect. Instead, this second album straddles musical territories in fine, cherry-picking form to create a truly excellent body of work.

Opener Passageway sounds like Radiohead if someone replaced all their jazz and electronica records with Fugazi and Sonic Youth, while Them Days Is Gone is a summery blast evoking Dinosaur Jr. in their prime. A record which weaves between inventive post-hardcore, shimmering shoegaze and serious bludgeon could risk sounding disjointed, but This Is The History is a seriously seductive listen.

Jutting Chin and Scratcher In The Mash are all the stronger for their unpredictable dynamics, while Sithin Flesche and Ultima Thule find no contradiction in juxtaposing warm melodies with thundering heaviness. It’s a curveball-packed collection that’s a fantastic treat from the left-field.

Verdict: 4/5