Rites Of Thy Degringolade - The Blade Philosophical

Black Vinyl. “The Blade Philosophical” is at once a recapitulation of the band's earlier work and a continued expansion of the boundaries of extreme metal. It is, in the truest sense, a real album, with common sonic and thematic threads woven throughout, drawing the tracks together into something cohesive and whole. Conceptually, the album is an exposition of the themes that permeate the band's entire body of work. While many details of the philosophy of Rites remain obscure, the overarching premise emerges: the exaltation of the self—the cultivation of the individual will—to disrupt, navigate, and ultimately control the ever-flowing streams of determinism. “The Blade Philosophical,” Kressman elaborates, “is the study and catharsis in the constant state of will—deterministic all, and the self as creator and destroyer.” The sound of Rites has always been distinctive—the band is one of a handful that can be honestly characterized as unique.