On Ritual, the band demonstrates their ability to build something original from an influence. A vastly differing set of 11 tracks ranging from simple pieces like the two short instrumental tracks (from which the album takes its title) through some fine four-minute rock songs to the ten-minute epic “Mortal Wings of Sin II.” Eriksson’s vocals are reminiscent of IQ’s Peter Nicholls, but the band’s music strikes out well beyond IQ parameters, even making use of the odd jazz inflection. – Cesar Lanzarini