Ritual Error is a subversive power stirring within the UK’s underground landscape. Melding the razor-wire sharpness of the Minutemen, the fury of early 90’s San Diego post-hardcore, and the metronomic noise-rock of the mid 90s – the London-based trio have cemented themselves as a band to keep tabs on. Their incendiary live show has earned them slots at Manchester Punk Festival, Decolonise Festival and chief support for legendary McClusky earlier this year at The Lexington. Composed of vocalist & guitarist Okala Elesia, drummer David Thair and bass player Alessandro Incorvaia, their output is a unique take on post-hardcore and noise-rock that channels the new paranoias of our uncertain age, bristling with off-kilter energy and frustration. They now prepare to unveil their debut long-player ‘Dial In The Ghost’ due for release via Manchester’s TNSrecords. Following two years of constant touring, ‘Dial in the Ghost’ arrives with the band sounding tight and lean. Yet this is an album of palpable dynamics; Okala’s freewheeling, treble-heavy approach to guitar, and desperate vocals is steadied by David’s technical calmness that prevents everything toppling, whilst Alessandro’s ferocious bass propels the music forward. That’s one of the strengths of the band: everything sounds off-set, like it could fall apart, but somehow doesn’t. Recorded by Wayne Adams of Bear Bites Horse, ‘Dial In The Ghost’ captures the unsettling spirit of the band’s live shows, bottling lightning into ten tracks of constantly shifting harmonics and undeniable power -the sound is tense, harsh, sometimes abrasive – but full of heart. First single ‘Life As A Contact Sport’ opens with a hypnotic vocal sample of Malcolm X before launching headfirst into a deluge of discord, a whirlpool of churning guitars, furious bass, and punishing drums. Second offering ‘Haldeman’ is a slower affair, and sways back and forth between discord, elevating harmonies and fractured, constantly-evolving patterns. Its unrelenting pace, unpredictable song structures and frenetic energy make ‘Dial In The Ghost’ a thrilling listening experience from front to back, a tribute to the inspiration the band have drawn from. On the album the band explain: ‘Lyrically, the album speaks to ghosts, dictators, and promoters who don’t pay you. It explores dual heritage, alienation and anti-blackness. We are not a band who go through the motions. It matters to us. We hope this record speaks to the horror of the current moment, both as a witness and a riposte, but also excites people who dig all the -sometimes obscure – bands we do. This type of music can’t die. In that sense, we feel like punk was never dead, it just had rent to pay’.
