The latest release from Danish punx Anti Ritual is named for the length of time it’s taken for the world to forget past horrors and allow fascism to once again gain global prominence – a sickening but undeniable reality we all have to contend with right now.
This time around the band have stripped away their metallic inclinations and chosen to dole out some hard-hitting but unashamedly melodic crust, seemingly intent on reclaiming / rehabilitating the jokily pejorative ‘stadium crust’ tag. The title track opens things up in shit-kicking fashion, reminding me somehow of a crustier take on Integrity’s ‘Hollow’. The EP’s clear standout, it’s burly and aggro but also anthemic and surgingly melodic. The three remaining tracks allow for a bit more texture and space, periodically utilising dissonance, melody and guitar FX to temper the more straight ahead hammering.
As I think I’ve said before, the music here likely won’t change your world if you’ve spent any time listening to bands like Tragedy, To What End? and From Ashes Rise. This said, though, it’s certainly decent, and right now I’m happy to hear as many voices as I can speaking out about humanity’s idiotic slide toward fascism and demagoguery.