In October 2024, Pale Horse Ritual released the ‘Enchantress’ EP, a brilliant four song slab of metal that blended doom, stoner and deep psych to create something that sounded like the missing link between ‘Volume 4’ era Sabbath, the heavier moments of Monster Magnet’s best jams and Goat Ritual. It may have only been short, but for lovers of a fuzzy stoner riff, it proved to be an essential listen, and one that stoked up excitement for a follow up.

Arriving over a year later, this follow up felt as if it were a long time coming, but ‘Diabolic Formation’ is a worthy successor – and its seven tracks very much give fans what they’d hope for. This is clear the moment ‘Deflowered’ kicks off with a distorted guitar cranking a riff through a wah wah pedal, weaving the ultimate doom blues sound. After bringing in the bass and drums, things sound fuller, though not necessarily heavier, since Pale Horse Ritual have already sown the seeds of a really dark sound. What the heavy beats and bottom end bring is a much bigger canvas, from which a superb – still heavily wah wah-ed lead – weaves a very 70s influenced proto metal sound. As things progress, the heavy riff takes on an even sludgier tone, but those hoping for a great melody won’t feel short changed since the bluesy guitar balances everything perfectly. For those who’ve not heard the band previously, this rather lengthy instrumental will provide a very effective introduction, and for anyone already considering themselves a fan, its huge sound and very meaty presence will certainly build further excitement for the tracks that follow.

Opening with a haunting keyboard sound, ‘Wickedness’ taps into an occult rock influence, taking the stoner vibe into a darker place, before unleashing a doom blues riff that showcases more brilliant wah-wah and fuzz. From there, the melody feels much less inspired, since it’s dangerously close to merely ripping off Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’. This doesn’t make it a bad track; it’s more a case of things playing a little too safely. Any indifference this may bring on behalf of the audience is balanced out by a great chorus where an echoing vocal weaves a deep psych melody in and out of the heavy riffs, and a really dirty lead guitar break shows off the most aggressive side of James Matheson’s playing. Despite being a bit predictable, it’s still a track that fans of doomy metal should enjoy, and the same goes for ‘Holy Lies’ a doom blues/sludge inspired monolith that presents a great sound via a very live drum, a whole world of distortion – coming through at a speaker busting volume in places – and a vocal that makes frontman Paco (also handling bass duties throughout the album) sound as if he’s channelling some great stoner performances of the 90s. Playing like rhe missing link between the UK’s Goat Ritual and the earlier work of the brilliant Witch Mountain spliced with the heaviness of Crowbar, this oppressively slow jam is a perfect example of PHR’s dark craft.

Changing the mood and lightening up a touch, ‘Save You’ pulls out the acoustic guitars and finds PHR experimenting with a blend of occult rock and dark folk. You’ll find some fine finger picked riffs gliding above a haunting drone and a hint of a ‘Planet Caravan’-esque vocal, very much allowing for a moment of reflection, before ‘Bloody Demon’ comes in with all guns blazing via a swaggering intro loaded with fuzz bass, and a heavy blues-based groove that brings out some great tones within the band’s heavier sound. There’s a great balance here between a distorted bass laying a groove and more wah-ed guitar making the recording sound even more retro. A moody vocal drops in and out when required, and although its one of Paco’s more user-friendly performances, he’s outshone by the dual guitars and his own bass work. Meanwhile, beneath the busy lead guitar work, Will Adams brings a lot of heft via a heavy rhythm guitar riff, and at the point where you think his and Paco’s effortless chugging with provide the number’s highlight, a shift in tempo allows Paco to drop in some very cool lead bass and tip his hat to Black Sabbath legend Geezer Butler. A slow, head-nodder of a track, its monolithic feel captures some perfect doom, and with some serious competition, this is the album’s stand out track.

Rounding out the rest of the disc, ‘A Beautiful End’ fills almost six minutes with a by-numbers doom metal trudge driven by distortion and semi-gothic vocals, whilst ‘D.E.D.’ opens with some sparse guitar work and steady beats, leaning further into a desert rock jam than classic stoner metal, making it seem far more interesting. The stripped down sound allows for more of a live in the studio feel, which is perfect for James’s blues based lead. It doesn’t last, of course, and Jonah Santa-Barbara arrives with a really heavy rhythm, the guitars revert to their preferred sludge/doom heaviness, and Paco adopts more of a gravel edged vocal tone. What transpires is a stoner metal track that ends up being a little more predictable than its intro suggested, but even so, the playing is great, and the way a demonic sounding keyboard bleeds through the wall of sludge gives PHR a truly sinister edge, which still makes it of great interest to genre fans.

Billing themselves as “demonic rock”, this Canadian quartet certainly know how to weave an extra layer of true darkness into a well worn sound. They also understand that an insanely weighty stoner/doom riff will do a lot of heavy lifting, even at times when the vocals aren’t as present as they could be, or the material feels (very) obviously derivative of its forefathers.‘Diabolic Formation’, original or not, definitely makes good on Pale Horse Ritual’s earlier promise. Even with its sometimes predictable nature, this is an album that’s absolutely bursting with superb riffs and still a release that all doom metal devotees should check out as soon as possible.

November 2025