A rising name is something that all of us are familiar with in some form or another, with the tale of an underdog out of nowhere always something that people love flocking towards. Bands can take years to climb their way through the underground with several albums in the bag before the masses realize what genius has been building right underneath their noses. In the case of Formation Ritual, though, the worth of the band was evident right out of the gate. Despite just putting out its debut album last year, Formation Ritual wasted no time whatsoever is showing us that they are certainly deserving of the attention they got with this speedy follow-up an increase in every category the likes of which people are always clamoring for.

I still listen to “The Shifting Dust” regularly with it having much of what the stoner world of music has always been devilishly good at from its mild psychedelia to excellent sense of heaviness paired with captivating melodies, and the prospect of Formation Ritual using that as a base to build upon for future efforts was something that really captured my imagination. Little did I know that Formation Ritual was going to respond to that debut so quickly! Everything that has been brought forth within “Doors to the Dead” utilizes every given facet of what was thrown down in its predecessor to only show us just how much has been learned in such a short span of time. Eight tracks that show off raw talent and a tremendous growth added onto an already extensive knowledge of the sound, Formation Ritual has put forth something that I don’t think many of us could have expected barely a year after bursting onto the scene. Littered with riffs and a spectacular scale that takes the listener to realms far beyond the horizon where the very land shifts to the will of Formation Ritual, “Doors to the Dead” is easily a wildly impressive successor that improves upon virtually every possible category that the band has ever touched on even slightly. It’s a cleaner listen yet no less than deadly in its effectiveness as Formation Ritual shows us what they’re really made of without fumbling with “Doors to the Dead”, a record that fans of the first album should immediately become enamored by.

To witness an upgrade like what we have here is something that underground fairy tales are really made of. Formation Ritual has truly laid forth their sense of domination and insanely clear vision with “Doors to the Dead” showing us at every given turn that this is not a band to underestimate, ignore, or second guess lest a fascinating lesson in tantalizing heavy psych pass you by. I doubt that Formation Ritual will return for a third offering in another year, but no matter how long it takes, “Doors to the Dead” is more than enough proof that one could ever need to make any kind of wait more than worth it.

LISTEN to “Doors to the Dead” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Formation Ritual on Facebook here.