· SNAKE HEAD RITUAL - CEREMONIAL THUNDER (GYR147) ·

::T R A C K S::

01. MAMA
02. THESE BLUES
03. STRANGE WORLD
04. GONE WHEN I GET HOME
05. THE GOLDEN AGE OF ROCK N' ROLL
06. 3:19
07. THE CHASE
08. SWEET MOLINA / SHE'S SO RECKLESS
09. AIN'T GOT TIME FOR THE BLUES
10. WHAT YOUR MAMA SAYS...YOUR DADDY DOES


FORMAT: Audio CD / 4 PANEL WALLET
GYR147 - $14.99

Awesome sophmore studio disc by this outstanding hard rock band from Ohio. Includes 10 tracks (58 mins.) of excellent, killer, powerful, retro-Classic, blues-based, heavy guitar rock mojo that stands tall and is guaranteed to kick your ass & rock your good jam:house to the ground. Snake Head Ritual have landed as true hard rock n' roll saviors on a mission to "Keep the Rock alive" on the epic "Ceremonial Thunder" disc.

Hailing from Toledo, Ohio (USA), Snake Head Ritual are "All About The Rock" and know what time of day it is when it comes down to the riffage/mojo that matters. S.H.R. have all the right hard rock influences and have created an original sound that is the definition of pure heavy rock excellence. Fronted by the amazing, powerhouse vocals of Kevin Chez, the man has an awesome set of vocal pipes that land down hard with serious, whiskey-soaked, soul-powered, rock swagger that goes right through the damn roof. As the voice of S.H.R., Mister Chez gets the hard rock vocalist of the year award with his bad-ass vocal powers. Snake Head Ritual also features Bill McCullough on guitar, a supreme, ass-kickin', six string rockin' riff:master mojo man who nails down endless amounts of brain-damaging, classic, 70s-inspired heavy S.H.R. riffage. Killer heavy riffs are McCullough's religion and he more than proves that theory with his monster-sized Classic riff action. S.H.R. also includes the excellent musical talents of Matt Vogel on rhythm guitar, Chris Graham on low end bottom kool bass and Tim Swartz on ass-kickin' powerful drums. The #1 good Snake Head Ritual Bros have produced and delivered serious, legit, hard rock mojo gospel at "Ceremonial Thunder."

In a world of musical mediocrity, it's high time to worship at the House of Snake Head Ritual and find true hard rock redemption in the form of this amazing band. S.H.R. have grown and matured since their superb excellent debut disc with a rock solid strong set of amazing new songs proudly displayed on the killer new follow-up. Crank up the Volume to Eleven and "Praise The Loud" with Snake Head Ritual at the essential "Ceremonial Thunder" disc.


MP3 Sample Clips

01. MAMA
02. THESE BLUES
03. STRANGE WORLD
04. GONE WHEN I GET HOME
05. THE GOLDEN AGE OF ROCK N' ROLL
06. 3:19
07. THE CHASE
08. SWEET MOLINA / SHE'S SO RECKLESS
09. AIN'T GOT TIME FOR THE BLUES
10. WHAT YOUR MAMA SAYS...
        YOUR DADDY DOES

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· reviews ·

Snake Head Ritual are team players. They write all the tunes themselves and work in unison to create beautiful music. Hard-rock with a blues edge, ‘Ceremonial Thunder’ growls from start to finish, with all the power and feeling of the best of the classic three-piece bands. But these guys are a four-piece, focused specifically on the vocals of Kevin Chez and the guitar — the sublime guitar — of Bill McCullough. Matt Vogel (rhythm guitar), Chris Graham (bass), and Tim Swartz (drums) fill out the band, planning out their every move to make the overall sound cohesive and harmonious. But it is anything but staid — it feels spontaneous and alive, full of the richness and color that one expects of first-rate blues-rock. Get this CD now, right now, and allow yourself to be thrust into a world of intense bluesiness.

Steven J. Rosen / Author + Journalist (January 2017)
 


Ceremonial Thunder is the second release from this Ohio-based five-piece and comes fully stocked with 10 cherry-picked hard rock, heavy blues classics. Showcasing equal doses of Skynyrd, Sammy Hagar and The Outlaws, Snake Head Ritual celebrate the glorious return of loud guitars, growling bass and thunderous drums. Check out ‘Ain't Got Time for the Blues’ and ‘Gone When I Get Home’ for a double dose of red-neck American rock. They put it all together in fifth track, ‘The Golden Age Of Rock N’ Roll’ where the combination of lead guitarist Bill McCullough and rhythm guitarist Matt Vogel merge together (acoustic and electric) like the Doobie Brothers on steroids. Vocalist Kevin Chez, a natural-born rock singer, bellows, “Give me back those glory days in the age of rock’n’roll / When the music was pure and strong and played with heart and soul” while the engine room of bassist Chris Graham and drummer Tim Swartz hammer out a rumbling foundation. The band’s songwriting is at peak level balancing driving riffs with hook phrasing and lyrical storytelling.

“Strange World” jumps out as a major league contender with FM single written all over it. Just enough .38 Special influence keeps it rockin’ hot with a catchy chorus and razor-sharp lead guitar break. Like Toronto’s Monster Truck, Snake Head Ritual use the blues as the core structure for their heavy rock. A prime example is the album opener “Mama” built on a grinding power chord and dry kick drum. They then add stellar vocals and surging bass to make it the ultimate arena anthem. It worked in the ‘70s and, in the capable hands of SHR, it’s enjoying a full renaissance. The Hendrix-inspired epic ‘What Your Mama Says...Your Daddy Does’ moves the band to a whole new level piecing together a massive heavy guitar jam on par with Mahogany Rush and Robin Trower. ‘Sweet Molina / She's so Reckless’ adds a bit of danger in its staccato riffing, snake-winding bass and defining drumming. Other standouts include the bump-and-grind ‘These Blues’, heart-pounding ‘3:19’ and eight-minute groove machine ‘The Chase’.

Todd K. Smith / The Electric Beard (September 2016)
 


Snakehead Ritual (SHR) is a five-piece hard rock band from Toledo, Ohio with singer Kevin Chez, the guitar duo of Bill McCullough (lead guitar) and Matt Vogel (rhythm guitar), bassist Chris Graham and drummer Tim Swartz. In 2013 they debuted with a self-titled album and now, three years later, there is "Ceremonial Thunder," a groovy hard rock album with ten original SHR songs, infused with blues.

With songs like "Mama," "These Blues" & "Strange World," SHR mercilessly (for the ears) open the album and follow their hearts. With "Gone When I Get Home" (here with co-producer Andy Patalan, who sings the backing vocals) and "The Chase" they continue the endless hard rock riffs, but in "The Golden Age of Rock N 'Roll," "3:19" and "Sweet Molina / She's So Reckless" they will again go for it. "Ain't Got Time For The Blues" is, as the title suggests, some more oriented blues rock, which (after the listening) is also funky. "What Your Mama Says ... Your Daddy Does" (here with Bob Shordt behind the keyboard) is great, but especially the long finale which offers Bill McCullough's endless solos plenty of space.

If you are a fan of '70s hard rock or blues rock with plenty of guitar violence, then you have the right disc with Shake Head Ritual's “Ceremonial Thunder” -- it is an album with real guitar riffs and proves that hard rock is far from dead.

Eric Schuurmans / Rootstime.de (October 2016)
 


The band released their debut in 2013. I really liked it. After hearing this one a couple of times. I really like this one, too. You may already know it, or I’ll tell you (again) – I love me a good riff. Snake Head Ritual deliver their riffs freshly brewed and hot! Opening track “Mama” contains some cool chunky southern rock phat riffs with excellent singer Kevin Chez laying down some soulful vocals on top. “Gone When I Get Home” really rips it up with its cool intense backbeat. The mix is rich, organic and analogue sounding with tube amp character guitar sounds, blending Strats and Les Pauls (at least that’s what it sounds like to me). “3:19” is another really cool track that sticks out a bit with its quirky rhythms and riffs, while “The Chase” delivers low down and dirty riffs and dual guitars smelling of diesel and burnt rubber. If you liked the first album, buying this one as well is a no-brainer! This band delivers!!

Janne Stark / Stark Music Reviews (August 2016)
 


Back for their second shot of heavy blues infused rock, Snake Head Ritual are here to deliver their Ceremonial Thunder. The band's self titled debut landed with a bang a couple of years back, a twisted melding of classic rock traditions and a North American heavy blues heartbeat, a prime example of how to blend two closely related cousins into a confident sound in its own right. Ceremonial Thunder continues that journey, the more obvious influences and touching points beginning to drift away as SHR begin to grow and mature. Don't get me wrong, when you take part in this mystical storm, you'll immediately feel at home in the powering riffs and rich grooves. However where the debut album had you reminiscing of AC/DC, or pre-blonde tints Whitesnake, this time Snake Head Ritual sound like, well, Snake Head Ritual. Yes, those Tops of the double Z may still have a strong bearing on the likes of "Mama", however there's a sharper bite to this Snake's venom, the huge rolling grooves suggesting that we might be headed into the domain of Clutch. And yet there's way too much blues (as you'd guess) in "These Blues", way too much Hendrix swagger in "3:19" and darting, snarling shuffle in "Sweet Molina/She's So Reckless" to make Ceremonial Thunder a simple quick-fix album.

The guitar pair of Bill McCullough and Matt Vogel are a force of nature, the good time, indispensable riffology the duo lay down knocking you this way and that through the mighty juggernaut of "Ain't Got Time For The Blues" (you better believe these boys are way too busy kickin' out the good times to get down), the pounding, yet easy going "Gone When I Get Home" and brooding smack of "Strange World"; McCullough quite simply a master of the guitar solo. Singer Kevin Chez excels, his deep rich tones perfect for the rocking rolling Snake Head Ritualising going down, while the rock solid foundation it's all built on arrives courtesy of drummer Tim Swartz and bassist Chris Graham.

Impressively we haven't even touched on this album's two shining lights yet, the urgent celebration of "The Golden Age Of Rock n' Roll" name checking the greats we wouldn't be here without in the most unforgettable of styles. However closing the album out with a mid paced bluesy spurt of "What Your Mama Says…Your Daddy Does" is pure genius, the authentic rhythms, and from the heart vocals, hitting just as hard as the biggest riff ever could.

I wasn't sure if Snake Head Ritual would be able to live up to one of the best debuts I've heard in quite some time. Ceremonial Thunder does exactly that and with room to spare. This band are the real deal, and put quite simply, are making music you should not be without.

Steven Reid / Sea Of Tranquility (August 2016)
 


Snake Head Ritual are a Blues based rock band from Perrysburg, Ohio who's Classic Rock meets Blues direction makes them a powerful musical force to be reckoned with. The band's sophomore release, 'Ceremonial Thunder', is just as good, if not better, than their powerful debut. Everything about the production of this cd is excellent. Heavy riffs and vocals that stick in your head. This new album will put power in your punch... guaranteed! If you're a big fan of Blues based rock with an edge this album will light you up! For those new to the band, I would describe their vibe as a high breed mix of Mountain meets a heavier version of Cactus. The band is comprised of, Kevin Chez-vocals, Bill McCullough-lead and rhythm guitar, Matt Vogel-Rhythm guitar, Chris Graham- bass guitar and Tim Swartz-drums. The band have really grown and matured as songwriters from their debut album as well as got an absolutely solid production job that adds serious clout to an already impressive album. The songs all rock and have some catchy choruses that allow the band to draw in more of an audience, but the catchiness never enters into the realm of pop-rock that would alienate their longtime fans. Favorites from the album are “Mama”, “These Blues”, "Gone When I Get Home" and "Sweet Molina / She's So Reckless" but the greatest percentage of the album just plain out rocks. If you like ‘70s inspired blues-rock or hard rock in general then you should check Snake Head Ritual out. It seems tough for me to imagine any hard rock fan not liking these guys, and it is definitely possible that they will reach a whole new audience with this monster of an album. For me, the band has really upped their game and is definitely going to make people take notice with this release. - Highly Recommended.

Tony Sison / The Dedicated Rocker Society (July 2016)
 



 


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