Because of my cultural connection to more "mystical" religious tradition (radical Christian sects of a hyper-Charismatic variety), I am actually quite fond of music that feels ritualistic. "Spiritual" sounds of any genre usually sit well with me, and this album is no exception, though the religion informing it has never been my own.
The primitive, ecstatic vocal inflections that the singer (whatever their name is) used across the record were fascinating and not unlikable. The way they flew around and across the repetitive instruments like a swarm of bees was amazing.
All that said, there was a certain "something" that was missing for me, and I'm not sure what that was. It could be that the ritual dragged on too long, or maybe it was just my state of mind- after all, one has to be actively participating in a ritual in order to accept its demands- either way, by the time it ended, I just wasn't feeling it any more.
This was not, by any means, a bad album. Magdalith was worth listening to. I don't know if I would listen to it again any time soon, but I'm glad I did at least once.
6/10
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