The Canadians Ritual Dictates released their second album a few months ago and expanded their lineup. No matter where you’re headed, if you have an open mind and limitless eclectic level, all roads lead to our colleague, the great Justin Haghberg, who has answers to all our questions.
Interview by César Ruíz Scheitan and Kikemaiden
Translation by Andrea Mollá
REA – This is the first time you’ve been on the Rock Entre Amigos website. We know that your origins come partly from the great heavy metal band 3 Inches of blood, where the two founders of RITUAL DICTATES, Justin and Ash, were part off, but you have also played in several different projects especially in extreme metal. So, who are the current members of RITUAL DICTATES?
Hey, thanks for the interview. It’s been great keeping in contact the last couple of years. Right now, Ritual Dictates is Rory O’Brien on bass & Anthony Sirianni on guitar, as well as Ash and myself. Rory was in a very good Vancouver group called Bushwhacker, and currently Anthony plays with Scalding and they’re quite crushing.
REA – How would you describe RITUAL DICTATES to anyone who doesn’t know you yet?
I suppose I’d say we’re a heavy metal band with influences from goth rock to grind and everything in between, but dropping the members of Revocation and 3 Inches of Blood card is obligatory.
REA – Before, we mentioned 3 inches of blood as the germ of the band, which was a genuine
killer heavy metal line-up, easy to define and classify. However, RD has nothing to do with
that. You are much more eclectic and amalgamated, with influences from other musical styles. What were your musical intentions when you formed the band, specially bearing in mind the great number of groups you are already part of? What&’s distinctive about RD?
Ash and I had no part in the creation of 3 Inches of Blood. I joined in 2004, and 3 Inches of Blood were a very hard-working band and quite well known at that point with two albums under their belt. My contribution to the songs I wrote with 3 Inches of Blood was to stay somewhat true to the sound that Sunny and Bob created in the band, but make it my own. And I had a great time writing songs with 3IOB, as well as playing all the «Battlecry…» & «Advance and Vanquish» tunes. They’re great fucking records. Ritual Dictates however, was a band that Ash and I started while in 3 Inches of Blood as a side project, and it was all over the place from the start. Although it started more grind, it gradually changed with every batch of songs we wrote.
REA – Before going on with the interview and RD’s history, if it’s not inappropriate I would like to remember 3 inches of blood. It was a band that I personally loved, and I was very sad when it disappeared. And in case some readers don’t know that previous era of yours, what do you remember from those years? And also, what do you think were the main reasons for their dissolution?
I’m incredibly grateful for the years I spent with my brothers in 3 Inches of Blood. Memories I’ll cherish forever with my best friends, and pleased that we documented a lot of it. Whe we broke up, we had been touring relentlessly for years. There’s more to it than that of course, but we all wanted different things. And for me, at that time, I couldn’t commit to a life of touring.
REA- Let’s move on to RD and his debut. «Give in to despair» comes out in 2020, a gloomy year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and that disrupted the plans of most bands. How was it received, considering all the complex circumstances you were going through?
It was complicated. I believe «Give In To Despair» was released two weeks after COVID took the world over by storm, and that affected our album being sold in record stores. However, we just worked harder online making our music accessible, and we’re pleased with the outcome. I think the release of songs like «Extinction», «Given to Despair» and «Terror of Time» were timed quite appropriately.
REA – I read good reviews of «Give in to Despair» from the more open and eclectic press, but also destructive ones from some extreme metal media. How do you handle these comments and how does it impact on you?
I respect the fact that everyone has their own taste in music, and I enjoy reading honest and constructive reviews. Regardless as to whether they’re in favor of our album or not, if the person reviewing it listened to the whole thing and expresses their honest opinion, I’m appreciative they took the time to listen to our album in it’s entirety. I do suggest giving it a second listen before you review, in case you missed something.
REA – And until you started preparing the current «No great lost», how was the band’s activity? Have you been able to relaunch the band live?
We performed with Archspire in late November of 2021, which were our first shows in a very long time. Because of COVID, we cancelled our «Give In To Despair» album release shows, so these two sets were sort of the beginning and the end of the tour cycle for that album. But we’ve been relatively active live. We’ve played a couple of times since the release of «No Great Loss», and we’re looking forward to playing more.
REA – And 2022 arrives, and «No great lost» is released, an album that has nothing to do with «Give in to despair». It is much calmer and atmospheric, with some progressive rock and hard rock influences, with hardly any extreme parts. Was this change of sound a natural on, or did you consciously want to take this musical direction before you started
composing? It’s quite different, eh?
Yeah, it wasn’t intentional. When I was writing «No Great Loss», it was during the pandemic. I was also working graveyard shifts at a crematorium, and that had a huge impact on the direction of the songs. Some of the songs were even written there.
REA – In interviews I’ve read, when «Give in to despairwas published, you said that you were
satisfied with the production and the result of the album, but that you would change the way of producing that second future album, which is the current «No great lost. Now that we have it in our hands, has it been like that? Have you changed the way of working on the
production? Tell us how it has been and the differences compared to your debut album.
«No Great Loss» was fun to make, but like «Give In To Despair», it was another learning experience. I believe «No Great Loss» was recorded in seven different studios, which is a lot. It was quite overwhelming at times, but in the end, we had a blast making this record, and it was great working with Jesse Gander and Michael Kraushaar again.
REA- I have the feeling that «No great lost» may have certain influences or, at least, similarities to bands like Tool, Opeth, Haken. Besides, to bands that recreate atmospheric passages or, sometimes, certain memories of the 70’s with bands like King Crimson, Genesis, or Pink Floyd. What do you think about this? And, at the same time, which bands of the last years have caught your attention the most and that are possibly influencing you?
You’re spot on. King Crimson, Genesis, and Pink Floyd are HUGE influences of ours. I listen all three of those bands quite frequently, so I imagine I’ve subconsciously stollen an idea from those greats. I love Philip Glass. I probably listened to his work more during the writing of «No Great Loss» than any other band or artist. Richard Wagner, another huge influence. I just recently saw Tristan Und Isolde in Seattle, which was mind blowing. Also, Tangerine Dream, Joep Beving, Talk Talk, etc. I’ll stop there. It’s a long fucking list.
REA- On «Give in to Despair» there was a good batch of collaborations. Tell us about the collaborations on «No Great Lost». That female voice that surrounds the album…
We had a lot of amazing guests on «No Great Loss», which I’m very grateful for. Shane Clark performed acoustic guitar and mandolin on «Succumbing to the Ravages of Age», G. Von Staaf’s incredible wail in «Burn the Widow», and Matty Reed crushing the saxophone in «Goth and Exhausted». Rachel Rampage, who also co-wrote the lyrics to «Goth and Exhausted», performed the synthesizer throughout the album and performed backing vocals on both «Goth and Exhausted» and «Autumn Song». Chika Buston performed killer operatic vocals on «My Solitude», and Brittney Slayes, who happens to be one of my favorite singers, performed lead vocals on «Aqua Tofana». She sings in an incredible band from Vancouver called Unleash the Archers, and they’re all wonderful people.
REA – Let’s talk about concepts or themes that you use in your lyrics. What are the themes that you normally use in your compositions? Is there a thematic difference between «Give to despair» and «No great lost»? And the titles of each album, do they have any significative
meaning?
Ash named both albums, and I love both titles. I feel they truly represent the albums perfectly. Ash took «No Great Loss» from a passage in Stephen King’s «The Stand». I suppose the difference between both albums lyrically is that Ash wrote most of the lyrics for «Give In To Despair», and I wrote most of the lyrics for «No Great Loss». The lyrics were written during the pandemic, which helped darken the lyrical themes, I’m sure. That, and many casks of cheap red.
REA – And from now on, how do you see the future for RD and mainly moving this «No great lost» to live?
Definitely. We really aim to perform more shows live, and we have a lot of plans to step up our live show.
REA – Even if we change the subject quite a bit, what do you think of the physical format nowadays? Is it important for RD or has it been relegated to a secondary role for you? And what about the re-emergence of the LP or K7? Do their future look promising for you?
Absolutely, the future IS promising. I perform music for the love of it. I don’t live off my music, but I live to make music, and I will always make music. I also appreciate the art and creativity that come with the physical copy. I enjoy reading the lyrics, looking at the artwork, and reading all the inforation in the liner notes about where and when the album was recorded. However, that shit can get expensive, so I understand streaming music online. I hand wrote lyrics on each lyric sheet for the vinyl pressing of «No Great Loss», for those who care to splurge, which makes each copy a «one of a kind».
REA – Which method is the one that gives the best results for RD when it comes to your followers and consumption. Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube, physical format…?
Online streaming, without a doubt. Spotify, Bandcamp, and YouTube etc… have really helped Ritual Dictates introduce our music to a global audience.
REA – At the beginning of the interview, we commented that you were part of 3IOB and some
other bands. I guess each one of you is still involved in some side projects. What are you
working on apart from RD at the moment?
I’ve completed writing the music for the third Ritual Dictates album, which I’m very excited for. I’ve also been working with some local musicians, helping with session vocals, guitars, and keyboards, etc. and that’s always a good time.
REA – And before we finish, you are from Vancouver. Canada is a really rich country in all kinds of rock with a lot of important bands for the world scene like Voivod, Kataklysm or
Annihilator; but at the same time, you have a huge underground scene. How do you see your own scene from the inside? Is it as good as it is seen from Spain? Is there a circuit for the bands there? Or do you depend too much on the USA?
I don’t know how my life in music would have turned out if I didn’t have Voivod, Skinny Puppy or Blasphemy in my life, and I’m very lucky to have grown up surrounded by such brilliant and legendary bands like Strapping Young Lad, Front Line Assembly, and Conqueror. It’s convenient we’re so close to Seattle, but it’s not easy for bands to tour outside of Canada. But we have a great scene here and great venues.
REA – Last year we were able to enjoy Striker and Lutharo, and this year we will do the same with Archpire and we hope to see Ash in our country with Revocation. What do we have to do to get RD to play in Spain?
Keep listening to Ritual Dictates. We will come one day, I promise.
REA- And we come to the end. You can leave your last words for REA readers.
Thanks again for the interview, and all the best in 2023.There is new music coming this year, so look out. Also, you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
REA – Thank you and it was all a pleasure.
Rock Entre Amigos 