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Ritual Spirit [EP] Image
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 4 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 31 Ratings

  • Summary: The four track EP from the British trip-hop band features guest appearances from Azekel, Roots Manuva, Tricky, and Young Fathers.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Mar 18, 2016
    90
    Ritual Spirit tantalises with the promise of a staggering force should the next LP surface soon.
  2. 83
    Ritual Spirit, apart from the rapping portions (which don’t detract from the experience), pores over a genre Massive Attack helped shape.
  3. Mar 18, 2016
    80
    Pretty much everything that helped the band make a name for itself is on display for these four songs--the simmering tension of title track, the sample-happy soundtrack for urban decay on the opener “Dead Editors”, the hot and steady boil of “Voodoo in My Blood”, and the morose single “Take It There” featuring the return of Tricky.
  4. Mar 18, 2016
    70
    Massive Attack were always equally as good producers as they were curators; it's promising that, as much of their old sound as they've retained, they've kept this as well.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Feb 21, 2017
    10
    "Dead Editors" was written by an aliens from the deepest space, this is for sure. You don't need to listen to this music. You will want to"Dead Editors" was written by an aliens from the deepest space, this is for sure. You don't need to listen to this music. You will want to feel it. But you will also need a good stereo to feel all the Hz&dB they have embedded into this track. Expand
  2. Jun 23, 2019
    10
    Hypnotic! Maybe this is their best job since Mezzanine. Very anxious for more songs like those from this album!
  3. Jul 30, 2016
    8
    A long awaited studio return of the Massive Attack. What can I say? Good to have them back.
    The opening track - "Dead Editors" featuring
    A long awaited studio return of the Massive Attack. What can I say? Good to have them back.
    The opening track - "Dead Editors" featuring Roots Manuva sounds quite fresh and dark. The lyrics are hypnotising. The flow is damn good. The music is somewhat paranoid and chaotic.
    The second track - "Ritual Spirit" featuring Azekel is the only one I have a major problem with here. I just can't get it. I can see where they were going to with this, but I really couldn't enjoy it.
    The third track - "Voodoo In My Blood" featuring Young Fathers initially was at the same level as the previous one for me until it got stuck in my head for a day and I wanted to jump to it like crazy.
    The fourth and final track - "Take It There" featuring Tricky. Well, what can you say? It's Tricky and Massive Attack on the same track! It's just plain sexy and sinister. The track is building momentum towards the end just to leave you at that piano loop again and it feels damn good.
    Overall a good little release, which has some flaws. Though it does one thing perfectly good: makes you wish for a full length LP if you're a Massive Attack fan.
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