| Atomic Ritual | ||
|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Nebula | ||
| Released | September 23 2003 | |
| Recorded | 2002 - 2003 at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California | |
| Genre | Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, Psychedelic Rock | |
| Length | 51:04 (Original) 48:51 (Reissue) | |
| Label | Liquor and Poker Music | |
| Producer | Chris Goss, Nebula | |
| Nebula chronology | ||
| Dos EP's (2002) |
Atomic Ritual (2003) |
Apollo (2006) |
Background[]
Through 2002 going into 2003 Nebula would begin work on a third studio album, entering Rancho De La Luna with producer Chris Goss.[1] Before recording, founding bassist Mark Abshire would leave the band with Simon Moon taking over the sessions. Atomic Ritual would see release on 23 September 2003 via Liquor and Poker Music. "So It Goes" would be on the video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2. A music video would be made for "Carpe Diem" and the band would notably appear on the hit TV show Monster Garage.[2] In regards to touring Nebula would tour with fill-in bassists such as Moon, Dennis Wilson and Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless). Abshire would notably return for a 2004 North American Tour with Local H.[3] Tom Davies would officially join the band on 10 September 2004.[4]
Some copies of the CD come with a Liquor and Poker sticker. On one of the flaps of the album case there are 5 lines of text reading:
"In the years of the Primal Course, in the dawn of terrestrial birth, Man Mastered the mammoth and horse, and Man was the lord of the earth." "He made him a hollow skin from the heart of a holy tree, He compassed the earth therein, and Man was lord of the Sea." "He controlled the vigour of steam, he harnessed the lightning for hire; He drove the celestial team, and Man was the lord of Fire." "Deep-mouthed from their thrones deep-seated, the choirs of the aeons declare The last of the demons defeated, for Man is the lorde of the Air." "Arise, O Man, in thy strength! the kingdom is thine to inherit Till the high gods witness at length that Man is the lord of his spirit."
Underneath this the initials A.C. are printed. These are the initials of occultist Aleister Crowley, the author. This is not Nebula's only Aleister Crowley reference; their MySpace tagline is a direct quote from Crowley: "Do what thou wilt, shall be the whole of the law."
Track 11 contains a hidden track (track 11.3). Track 11.1 lasts for 2:40 before a period of silence and resuming. This would be edited down to 10:12 on the 2022 reissue. Atomic Ritual would be reissued by Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds in February 2022.[5]
Atomic Ritual garnered mostly positive reviews (With an exception from Uncut Magazine)[6] at the time of it's release. AllMusic called Nebula a "hard-working power trio [that] sounds like it has been hanging out in the garage since 1973, blissfully unaware of the changing world outside. Which is definitely to its benefit".[7] Entertainment Weekly (A-),[8] Dusted Magazine,[9] Exclaim![10] and Lollipop Magazine[11] would elicit further praise.
In a readers poll via Stonerrock.com, Atomic Ritual would rank #1 on the websites "Top 23 Albums of 2003".[12]
Tracklist[]
All songs written by Eddie Glass and Ruben Romano except where noted.
- 1. Atomic Ritual (4:14)
- 2. So It Goes (3:54) (Romano)
- 3. Carpe Diem (4:21)
- 4. More (Glass, Judgement of Paris) (3:15)
- 5. The Beast (3:35)
- 6. Out of Your Head (4:11)
- 7. The Way to Venus (2:46)
- 8. Paradise Engineer (4:10)
- 9. Electric Synapse (3:00)
- 10. Strange Human (5:05)
- 11. Fin (2:43) (Romano) (10:12 on 2022 reissue)
- 12. Atomic Ritual Revisited (9:13) (Hidden Track; Merged with 11 on reissue)
Personnel[]
Nebula[]
- Eddie Glass - Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
- Ruben Romano - Drums, Percussion, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Artwork
- Simon Moon - Bass
Other Personnel[]
- Chris Goss - Producer
- Nebula - Producer, Mixing, Art Direction
- Cyphernetics - Producer, Mixing, Editing
- Brian Gardner - Mastering
- Eric Hendrix - Live Photography
- Carlos Betts - Band Photography
External Links[]
References[]
| V·T·E Nebula | |
|---|---|
| Current Lineup | Eddie Glass • Michael Amster • Ranch Sironi |
| Selected Past Members | Mark Abshire • Ruben Romano • Rob Oswald • Tom Davies • Isaiah Mitchell |
| Studio Albums | To the Center • Charged • Atomic Ritual • Apollo • Heavy Psych • Holy Shit • Transmission From Mothership Earth |
| Extended Plays and Splits | Let it Burn • Sun Creature • Clearlight • Vulcan Bomber / Aquasphere • Nebula / Lowrider • Nebula / Quest for Fire |
| Other Releases | Dos EP's • BBC Peel Sessions • Demos & Outtakes 98-02 • Live in The Mojave Desert Vol. 2 • Livewired in Europe |
| Selected Associated Bands, Etc. | Fu Manchu • Karma To Burn • Earthless • Blaak Heat • Mondo Generator • N.O. Hits At All Vol. 9 |