Some projects take a while to get off the ground and become a concrete reality, but Ontario’s Pale Horse Ritual (formerly The Pale Horses) took the idea of not rushing anything to extremes. The earliest line up of band the dated back to the late 90s when they were an on/off project for the musicians involved, but it wasn’t until 2024 that a stable line up was formed and the band finally entered the recording studio. They might have taken an age to reach the world’s ears, but the ‘Enchantress’ EP (released via Black Throne Productions (home of Sons of Arrakis and AAWKS) is a real treat.

The lead track ‘Never Know’ wastes no time in introducing the band’s big, fuzz driven sound. From the off, the number showcases a wall of distorted guitars blending the heaviness of stoner classics and the swirling, distorted edge of psych-metal. The fusion of huge, retro noise works brilliantly and it’s easy to hear how this band became label mates of the mighty AAWKS, but dig beneath the distortion and you’ll find more interesting features here. Firstly, there’s a Hawkwind-ish lead guitar which layers moments of melody with a weird wibbling tone, but there’s also a melodic, sub-gothic vocal which, with the aid of a much cleaner sound, gives a really heavy sounding tune a sense of melody throughout. The swaggering elements that drive the main riff make the band sound like an unexpected fusion of doom and 70s glam at times, which leads to an attitude fuelled sound that really works. Adopting more of a traditional doom sound, ‘Bad Love’ allows the guitar to latch onto a broader sounding mid tempo riff, and the repetitive drone calls back to classic metal tracks like Black Sabbath’s ‘Wheels of Confusion’ and, on a much more superficial level, White Zombie’s ‘Thunder Kiss ’65’. The effects placed on the vocal and slightly bluesier tones coming through parts of the main melody really help the number to sound more like a natural fit with the bulk of The Ritual’s work, but it’s probably fair to say, this isn’t quite as distinctive as this EP’s best cuts. That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable, of course, and by the time the band reaches the song’s climax and introduces a faster tempo, and everything sounds great when the riffs take on a Sabbath-ish/Monster Magnet inspired chug that borders on a classic sound.

The title track switches gears to introduce a massive garage rock riff, but in true Horse style, it’s loaded up with so much distortion, everything still sounds like it comes from the hands of a stoner/doom band. Nevertheless, the main riff is huge enough to be immediately impressive, and the fuzzed up approach of the guitar and bass, as before, is a perfect counterpart for a vocal that’s been drenched in echo and reverb for that full on dark-psych experience. The real highlight here, though, is ‘Morning Star’, which throws most of The Pale Horse Ritual influences into a huge arrangement, creating a genre-bending mini masterpiece. It kicks off with a semi-grungy riff that recalls the heavier moments from The Almighty’s ‘Powertrippin’ masterpiece, veering off into a dark rock ‘n’ roll sound where hard edged guitar riffs are buoyed by a really punchy rhythm. Then, just as you think you’re in for something that falls squarely between a gothic sound and hefty sounding rock, an echoed vocal and a wall of synth noise inject influences from the vast world of space rock. Giving that time to settle, the whole sequence repeats, and the band draws the listener even more deeply into their world of layered noise. Eventually peaking with a vaguely sludgy riff and a countdown that brings everything full circle, there’s barely a second wasted here, even though it sounds like a marriage of three very different ideas. Given the scope that’s been presented within these five minutes, it made a great choice for a digital single release ahead of sharing the full EP.

You want riffs? This certainly won’t sell you short. You want a more interesting take on stoner themed sounds? This will push a lot of the right buttons. You want maximum fuzz and a hugely trashy aesthetic? This definitely won’t disappoint. In the little over seventeen minutes it takes to play ‘Enchantress’ from end to end, The Pale Horse Ritual play up a storm. They take a world of retro sounds, kick them up the arse and wind up delivering some of the best fuzz based noises of 2024. If you’ve any interest at all in stoner-ish sounds or full scale heavy psych intensities, as far as ‘Enchantress’ is concerned, the small price of a download will be money well spent.

October 2024