‘Warp Ritual’ by Psychic Hood

‘Warp Ritual’ by Psychic Hood

The Warhammer 40K universe and dungeon synth mix every now and again, so it’s a welcomed surprise when I come across an artist trying to capture the complexity and strangeness of the franchise. Named after an arcane device utilized by Space Marine Librarians to amplify their psychic powers and protect them against the demons of the Warp, Vermont’s Psychic Hood captures the 40K universe in compelling and dramatic dungeon synth work on their latest release, Warp Ritual. 

Songs like the album’s self-titled track and the opener, “The Golden Throne,” set apart Warp Ritual in a scene where typically tones of comfort and whimsy are emphasized as they sonically capture a more dramatic and epic sensation. They work to maintain the mystery and wonder of space while also evoking Warhammer 40K’s grimdark reality of space crusades and chaos gods. Psychic Hood plays with fascinating sounds throughout the album, with haunting baritone choirs in “Eye of the Astronomican” and dissonant chimes and creepy, somber cries in “Lamentation of Corillia.” The latter captures one of the more sorrowful and bleak Space Marine chapters, The Lamenters, well. 

Psychic Hood showcases how to keep a 6+ minute long dungeon synth track captivating with “Beyond the Emperor's Light,” which creates the sensation of traveling to dark lands in an endless war alongside Space Marines, complete with ambient chanting and an echoing drum march. There’s a steadiness to Warp Ritual that keeps its subject matter and its tone at the forefront, while other dungeon synth albums work to create a more meditative and relaxing atmosphere. The album works to keep you more attentive and intrigued by its dynamic songwriting, which shows Psychic Hood’s expertise on the 40K more than the allusions the album pulls from. 

I appreciate that Warp Ritual wastes no time with even its more tone-downed transitional songs like “Ruinous Powers” before getting back into an impressive track focused around encountering the strange and shamanistic powers of one of the most powerful Orks in “Old Zogwort's Curse.” The closer “Vox Espiritum” keeps the album concise and of high quality, with mysterious synth sweeping throughout the suspenseful drums and humming chords. Being a bit over 40 minutes, Warp Ritual is a testament to Psychic Hood’s talent as a unique dungeon synth artist who embodies the strangeness and perplexity of Warhammer 40K. 

Warp Ritual is a standout album for this year because of how familiar yet unique it feels. The passion and creativity of Psychic Hood truly come through during its runtime. It will be exciting to see where the artist goes from here as Psychic Hood continues to push the God-Emperor’s crusades further and further into the great expanse of the cosmos. 

You can follow Psychic Hood on Bandcamp, Instagram, and Facebook.