Review Summary: A very solid emo pop record that never found it's ideal audience.
Spencer Sotelo along with Matt Halpern from Periphery teamed up to create "The Ritual," and it’s quite a shift from their usual djent sound to something that leans more towards emo pop. This album really captures that early 2000s pop punk style, reminiscent of bands like Fall Out Boy, with its catchy, upbeat energy. Sotelo's vocals are definitely more palatable compared to someone like Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance, whose voice can come off as a bit whiny and grating. Sotelo brings a more refined emo style that’s easier to enjoy.
The rhythms are super fun and danceable, and the production adds a nice touch with strings and piano that elevate the overall sound. A track like "Death Machine" feels like a dramatic piece with a quirky twist, almost like it belongs in a darker version of A Nightmare Before Christmas. The whole album carries that same energy. It strikes a great balance between My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, blending the best parts of both, with a dash of Ice Nine Kills on the heavier side of things. Sotelo has a real knack for adding theatrical vocals without sounding cheesy; whenever he goes for that dramatic flair, it always comes off as pretty sophisticated, which is no small feat.
It’s a shame that "The Ritual" seems to have been overlooked, even by its creators, as Sotelo doesn’t mention it much these days. But honestly, this album holds its own against those iconic 2000s records. When it dropped, it was in a tough spot, released under Periphery's Three Dot label, where fans were expecting more of their signature djent sound. Unfortunately, it didn’t get the chance to reach a broader audience that might appreciate its more accessible pop punk flair.
