Release date:   28 November 2025
Label: Black Throne Productions

Intro

Sludge doom quartet Pale Horse Ritual were formed in Hamilton, Ontario just last year, but are already a group to keep an eye on. Matheson on lead guitar does guitar and vocal work for stoner/desert rock trio Cannabus. Similarly, Adams on rhythm guitar, already adept in production and mixing, also plays drums for stoner doom trio Sun Below and does guitar and vocal work for blues/stoner quartet The Electric Cactus. Add in the drumming talents of Santa-Barbara and the dual vocal and bass work from the mononymous Paco and the lineup is complete. After a few minor name changes and the release of 2024’s delightfully occult Enchantress EP, Pale Horse Ritual landed where they are today. Several shows and barely a year later, the group is proud to announce the release of their debut album, Diabolic Formation.

The Album

The album begins with Deflowered, a fuzzy and cautiously paced long instrumental piece surrounded by a constantly soloing guitar. Both deep and surprisingly light on its feet, this is an excellent opener that promises the listener good things are to come. Following this is Wickedness, a psychedelic blast that combines old school and new school into a ritualistic bop. Vocals make their first appearance here, echoing and muted so as not to disrupt the powerful guitars’ heavy riffs. Next is the darkly shambling Holy Lies, rhythmic tinging from the drums playing well with the growl of the guitars. The vocals here are much heavier than in the previous, harmonizing with the guitars to make a rich, deliberate sound. Halfway through is the brief and pensive Save You, heaviness pulled aside to show the band’s more sensitive side. This track feels like a reflective interlude, a nice pause between hearty slabs of intensity.

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Hot off the heels of the previous, Bloody Demon roars to life, rolling guitars harmonizing under resonant vocals. At multiple points, the guitars seemingly protest, attempting to break free while changing up the beat to something more fun. After a curiously slow start, the intimidating D.E.D finally makes itself known with rumbling guitars and dripping vocals. With additional vocals and a strange pacing, this track is notably different from the other ones, barely sticking the landing. The final and longest track on the album is the aptly named A Beautiful End, a haunting and enigmatic melody. Feeling like an occult incantation with diabolical guitars laid over it, this stand-out track concludes the album excellently.

A Final Word

Pale Horse Ritual may be new, but they have more than a good handle on what they are doing. With powerful riffs, an insistent bassline, carefully restrained drums, and reverberant vocals, this band makes a sludgy doomy sound fit for the ages. Though they take several pages out of the original book, they also have written in their own rules for the genre and hopefully they stick. Diabolic Formation is a must-have for any fan of the classics like Black Sabbath or Electric Wizard, or anyone who wants to get their finger on the pulse of what’s out now.

Line up:

• Paco – Lead vocals, bass
• James Matheson – Lead guitar
• Will Adams – Rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keys on Wickedness
• Jonah Santa-Barbara – Drums

• Liam Gray – Bass on Save You
• Dom Valela – Keys on D.E.D and A Beautiful End, backing vocals on D.E.D
• Doom Valhalla – Spoken word on A Beautiful End

Links:

Bandcamp
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