Yatra Premiere “Black Moon”; Debut Album Death Ritual out Jan. 4 on Grimoire Records
Roll it out. Inspirations from the past of the East Coast’s most essential doom scene echo through the Grimoire Records debut album from Maryland’s Yatra, but Death Ritual isn’t just another band come along to retread The Obsessed riffs or try to fill the void left by Iron Man. Led by guitarist, vocalist and principal songwriter Dana Helmuth (also ex-Blood Raven), Yatra‘s story goes that they adjourned themselves from the daily whatnottery of live, went to a cabin sans indoor plumbing, and banged out the album in a couple months’ time. As the PR wire informs below, even the band’s name ties into the idea of a pilgrimage, so that they’d execute such a meditative self-removal is all the more fitting. You’d almost swear these things were thought out beforehand.
Death Ritual finds Helmuth joined by bassist Maria Geisbert and drummer Mike Tull for eight songs and 44 minutes of doomly rollout, but if you want to hear how the woods affected their sound, the rasp of “Sacred Flower” or the howl in “Four Directions” nods in a pretty clear manner toward black metal, but there’s plenty of burled-out riffing to coincide, as shown not only on “Four Directions,” but in the droning atmosphere of “Snakes in the Temple” and “Mighty Arrows” as well, the latter of which marches Death Ritual to its finish with “Sailing On,” which makes sense as a closer, you know, about death. Having begun with an atmospheric intro to opener “Hour of the Dragon,” the crash and tonal depth make themselves felt early on and become the center around which the revolve. It’s like doom but they poured barbecue sauce on it.
No complaints there. “Black Moon,” which follows, takes a not dissimilar angle, but does so over a more fleshed-out period of time. at 6:43. I have the pleasure of hosting the track, which makes a ceremony of its initial feedback before unfurling some of the more extreme touches amid the tonal heft and nodding groove, the ease with which Yatra tap into different styles deceptive in its raw cohesion.
You can stream “Black Moon” at the bottom of this post. The PR wire was kind enough to send over info on Death Ritual, which is out Jan. 4 on Grimoire Records.
Grimoire Records presents Death Ritual, the debut full-length album by Maryland-based doom trio YATRA, confirming the album for early January release. The record’s cover art, track listing, and more have been posted.
YATRA is a journey into mountainous sounds, transcending into the deep forests of primeval times. Born from the ashes of the Maryland doom band Blood Raven, the new three-piece emerged in 2017 as frontman Dana Helmuth’s new vehicle to embrace the darkness and doom. Confident in Maria Geisbert and Mike Tull as his new rhythm section, Helmuth’s inspiration was fueled exponentially.
“We had moved back to the country, into a small cottage in the woods, with no plumbing for the first three months we were there,” describes Helmuth. “We had an outhouse and outdoor shower. It was primitive, and it was during that time that I started writing all the material for Death Ritual. The solitude and the darkness of the night put me in a space of prolific writing and I wrote all eight songs in a month. We rehearsed three times a week and immediately started playing live shows regularly in Baltimore and New York City. We were able to channel that same darkness in the writing, also into our live shows, and the positive response was tremendous and really pushed us harder on our journey.”
In fact, “journey” is exactly what YATRA symbolizes. While traveling through Nepal and the Himalayas by motorcycle in 2013, Helmuth learned the native word “yatra” which means journey or pilgrimage, which he later recalled as the namesake of this new doom trio. The band’s eclectic sound combines the harsh, distorted vocal sounds of black metal over slow, heavy doom drones, fuzzed-out sludge riffs, and a tight rhythm section maintained by Maria Geisbert on bass and Mike Tull on drums. YATRA’s sound clearly conveys heavy worship and dedication to tone. Helmuth’s lyrics draw from fantasy and are influenced by the writings of Howard, Lovecraft, Auel, Tolkien, as well as many references to Norse mythology and Pagan ritual. No love or politics. Fans of Electric Wizard, Cough, and Sleep will find plenty to love in Death Ritual.
YATRA’s full-length debut, Death Ritual was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Grimoire Records’ Noel Mueller in August of 2018. The artwork features four mixed-media pieces by Aki Pitkänen, layout by Mueller, and the hand-drawn logotype by Dana Helmuth.
Death Ritual will be released on CD and digital download via Grimoire Records, and as a limited-edition vinyl release directly from the band, on January 4th, 2019. Find preorders HERE and watch for audio samples, tour dates, and more to be posted shortly.
Death Ritual Track Listing:
1. Hour Of The Dragon
2. Black Moon
3. Sacred Flower
4. Snakes In The Temple
5. Smoke Is Rising
6. Four Directions
7. Mighty Arrows
8. Sailing On
YATRA:
Dana Helmuth – guitars/vocals
Maria Geisbert – bass
Mike Tull – drums
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Love the new track!
Can’t wait for the full album release