“Satisfaction with what we do is death, never [be] satisfied; [that] vampire shit” – Roe Ether
2020 has been one of the worst years on record. But for musicians, that’s especially true. They’ve had to adapt and overcome immense obstacles to stay relevant. Unfortunately for some, despite all the effort they pour into their work, many have been slept on. Ritual of Ether is no exception to that rule. For me personally, this man’s music has literally carried me through the worst parts in so many ways – So to ensure a proper closing to this insane year, I’m going to do my part to promote an artist I have nothing but love for in the best way possible.
Late last year I was exposed to Ritual of Ether through Razakel, the horrorcore queen. She kept dropping little hints about this guy, and as soon as she posted his video for “Hellrazor“, I fell in love with his music and it’s truly unique sound. He’s got virtually every element I look for in music. It completely blurs the lines between sounds, evoking his older projects Timeline and Sippy Cup which are solid EDM with hints of rap, and flows through genres like a knife through flesh. He can spit the most gruesome lines over solid beats, bust out that dubstep beat drop and distort the entire track in a way that makes your whole body move, and twist it into organic sounds and carry a tune over a chorus section with word flows that make your emotions soar, and you can feel the pain or love in the interlude before he viscously mangles the entire track all over again with lyrics that far surpass even the best horror movie kill scenes.
Within the past year he’s released a ton of new music that so far has not seen the exposure it truly deserves. He signed on with Shrunken Head Entertainment, dropped his ‘sincore’ album as Serpentines with Razakel, re-released his EP Room 6, just dropped his latest solo album 7th Circle Serpents. He’s dropped a bunch of tracks with Jrumma, most notable is their cover of “In The End” from Linkin Park, worked with SUPERLOVE and ITSOKTOCRY, put out the single “Homiex” with Bvne, Hard Jawz and Whenitrvins, and produced and remixed more songs than I can even keep up with.
It’s so hard to categorize him as an artist, because he really can work with virtually any genre and style and do so like nobody else I’ve ever heard. If you’re into Horrorcore, EDM, Metal, or virtually anything that makes you feel raw unfiltered emotion, and get into classic horror films, witchcraft, or Satanism, then his work is definitely for you. But there’s so much more to it. The track “Making a Martyr” with Jrumma supports service men and women, and the track he produced with Jrumma and Mass of Man, “Call My Phone“, addresses struggles with addiction.
Do me a huge favor, and check out my personal artist of the year, Ritual of Ether. Below is his latest video for “The Suffering.” It’s a prime example of his genre bending sound, combined with his hardcore lyrics, and ability to connect to your deepest emotional core. Roe Ether, thanks for making my 2020 one to remember, and here’s to many more.