Review
Hour of 13Also like Orchid, the tunes are very catchy. But unlike Orchid, these are not just Sabbath riffs and songs rearranged into lesser forms of themselves. The riffs sound like Iommi could have written them, but they're not riffs we've already heard on Sabbath records. The songs are originals, not new arrangements of classics.
Finally, Hour of 13 has made the wise choice to make the record sound like it was recorded with modern equipment. No, it's not ultra-polished, sanitized crap, but it takes modern technology and uses it the way it should be used. The result is a heavier record that sounds good as well as natural.
In a nutshell, that's the difference between Orchid and Hour of 13. The former are basically a tribute band, while the latter are originals that sound like they could have been contemporary with Sabbath, but blessed with better recordings.
The Verdict: Hour of 13 have done 70's retro metal the way it should be done, and the songs are catchy as hell. I give The Ritualist 4 out of 5 stars.
Glad to see you liked that one. Hour of 13 is certainly a good, up-and-coming band.
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