Ritual Cross II cassette
Eight more cuts of wretched hardcore from Chicago’s latest and greatest, RITUAL CROSS. After making a splash with their debut tape, the band follows up with more of everything on II: more angular riffs and song structures, more grizzled vocals, more sinewy leads, and more commentary on capitalism, genocide, and anti-war protest. The use of ambient noise and instrumental breaks adds a foreboding atmosphere that gives the tracks a sense of cohesion that really works in their favor. In his review of their debut, Matt Casteel mentioned them reminding him of Richmond’s CICADA, and I still can’t think of a better comparison.
