Release date: 31 October 2025

STARLIGHT RITUAL emerged from Montréal, Québec in 2013, founded by guitarists J.F. Bertrand and Dan Toupin. Initially conceived by Bertrand as a doom/psychedelic project, the duo soon recruited bassist Mat Forge and drummer Louis Lecomte. Together, they composed a full-length set of heavy, progressive instrumental tracks—some of which appeared on their self-titled debut EP in 2015. Though technically an EP, its four-song runtime stretched close to 40 minutes.

In early 2014, vocalist Damian Ritual joined the fold, marking a turning point in the band’s evolution. With his arrival, STARLIGHT RITUAL released the EP Age Of The Universe in 2016, followed by their first official full-length album Sealed In Starlight on Temple Of Mystery Records in 2021.

Their latest release, Rogue Angels, marks STARLIGHT RITUAL’s debut for High Roller Records. “We recorded everything in our own studio in Montréal over the past year,” says Damian. “Most of the music was written by Dan, with a few tracks by J.F. I contributed parts and helped rearrange the songs into their final form. I handled bass, vocals, lyrics, and melodies. J.F. played drums, and Dan tracked all guitars.”

Reflecting on the band’s stylistic journey, Damian notes a significant transformation: “Our early material was long, psychedelic, and designed for zoning out. But that never felt like the full picture. With Age Of The Universe, we began shifting toward a classic heavy metal sound. By Sealed In Starlight, we’d found our voice—traditional heavy metal with an epic edge. Think Manowar, Running Wild, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow. We blend what we love and make it our own. If I had to name it, I’d call it ‘Epic Hard Rocking Traditional Metal’—if that’s even a real genre!”

Rogue Angels, described by Damian as “sharp, deadly, and to the point,” carries echoes of Grim Reaper, especially in the vocal delivery. “Steve Grimmett (RIP) was a massive influence. Tracks like ‘Rock Me ‘Til I Die’ helped shape my voice. He’s up there with Paul Di’Anno, Tony Martin, Eric Adams, Blackie Lawless, and Ronnie James.”

The album’s slowest and most epic track, “Exodus,” channels doom metal’s grandeur. “It’s our Heaven And Hell or Egypt (The Chains Are On) moment,” Damian explains. “Every solid metal album needs a slow-burner—and what’s more epic than the Old Testament? Not much!”

LINE-UP
Damian Ritual – Vocals & Bass
Dan Toupin – Guitars & Keyboards
J.F. Bertrand – Drums

Review

“Lost Among the Fold” opens the album with a slow-paced almost sludge-like intro, before bursting free into a speed metal frenzy. While the vocals weren’t quite my cup of tea, as I wasn’t a fan of the effect being put on them, I’m not ready to write them off just yet.

“Rogue Angels” began with a gnarly riff that progressed quickly into something that sounded like it was ripped straight from the 80s. The vocals worked for me a bit more in this one than in the opener, and overall the song had a more ‘complete’ feel to it (if that makes any degree of sense).

A sick drum-beat kicked off “Crusaders”, which was a more even-tempo sort of track. The drums were very much what excelled here, though the mix felt a bit thin in places. Once again, I felt like the vocals really worked here, as did the overall instrumentation.

“Far Beyond the Storm” had a somewhat dissonant guitar solo to kick it off, and overall I felt a pronounced black metal influence throughout. Though again, I have to say that the vocals aren’t doing it for me here, it’s like there’s a layer of something over them that mutes them a bit.

“Of Words” featured more the same from the previous tracks. Great instrumentation and general music, but I felt that the extra layer tacked onto the vocal production prevented me from really getting engrossed in the track overall, ultimately leaving this one as a somewhat forgettable affair.

“Omenkillers” begins with a brief snippet from the 1976 film The Omen, which was the reason I was almost named Damien. I’m glad my parents took a more level-headed route by naming me Gage from Pet Sematary. A highly pronounced black metal, and punky, influence infects this one throughout and I really think it works to the advantage of the entire track. In fact, this one reminded me quite a bit of Midnight. Really enjoyed this one, a highlight to be sure.

“The Law” featured a minute-long instrumental opening that was mostly focused on the ascendant sweeps of the guitar, before Damian Ritual’s vocals kicked in, and again this one had a little something extra injected into it that made it connect with me much more than the first half of the record did. This was another strong track for the backend of the album.

“On the Run” maintained an average vibe to it until the initial chorus, wherein Starlight Ritual spiced things up a bit with a nice touch of extra melody to it. Again, it’s little things like that that really make or break an album, the minute ways you can make each song stand on their own. I was also a huge fan of the way the mini guitar solo (around 3:00 in) sounded in this one, almost distant. It definitely has the feel of a song with ‘lead single’ appeal, and that’s not a bad thing. Also a really sick bass break near the final sprint to put a cherry on top.

“Exodus” had a slower approach than its album-mates, with precise and intentional drum beats that almost marched like a grand army, and all fueled by a truly smooth bass line to propel it forward. This doom-like tempo helps to give it a more epic feel, and giving it a proper place as the penultimate piece. It’s also a cool callback to some of Starlight Ritual’s more doom-oriented earlier work. Oh man, the final 2 minutes of this one is just pure freaking magic. No notes.

“Aftermath” was less of a song, and more of an epilogue to the album as a whole. A few discordant sounds and noises in the beginning (that honestly almost sound like someone playing a record backwards), before a few isolated strings join in and a fadeout. It’s all very ominous.

Conclusion

This was a record that I found myself going back and forth on quite a lot, but once I found myself in the music or the music found me(if that makes any degree of sense), I was very much engrossed in it. The back half of the record being my favourite, but I think the first half will grow on me with time and re-listens. There’s a certain uniqueness to the vibe of the album overall that I initially found off-putting, but again, by the end, I was invested. Ultimately, Starlight Ritual’s sophomore full-length is one that I found backloaded, but that back is overloaded with such quality that it makes the whole package worth it. (It was going to be an 8, but the final 2 minutes of “Exodus” gave it a boost).

TheNwothm Score: 8.5/10

Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starlightritual

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightritual

Label: High Roller Records