2024 Number 6: Ritual

Gemma's Top 10 Albums of 2024: Number 6
Ritual - The Story of Mr. Bogd, Part 1

Let's have a concept album on our prog list. Always a staple of the genre. This one tells of a rich man who is propelled by fate to change his life and become a better person, a fable for our times indeed.

Like Viima, Ritual are folky and Scandinavian, but their approach is completely different. Ritual are among the great maximalists of prog, bringing lots of energy, Gentle Giant-like canons and musical chaos into a swirling whirlwind of an album. Of course, there are also sedate, reflective moments in this story of introspection, but it's mostly a wild album full of crazy fairy tale adventures. It's like going to the Efteling on amphetamine.

Lots of acoustic instruments are hidden in the mix, but there's moments of mad rock 'n roll too. The singer understood the assingment and has gone full theatre kid on this one (which he also did on the previous Ritual record, which came out a cool 16 years ago). Being Part One, the album doesn't really have a satisfying ending. It just closes in the middle of the story.

Yes, Ritual take their time to craft albums. They are one of the oldest bands on my list, going back to the nineties, but this is only their fifth album. This means that it's entirely possible we might have to wait a while for part two. I have no doubt it'll be worth waiting for.

I also believe that releasing part one and two separately rather than as a double album was the right call. Two hours of this would have been a little too intense. But part one is a deeply enjoyable, energetic adventure.