Alpha Sect – Sacred Beliefs [Soil Records]

After years of hard work and constant activity, SOJ has managed to build a platform with a fairly specialised and recognisable sound, which is also created in its own image and likeness. The style of Soil Records fits perfectly with the creative idea of its head, and this is not at all generalised, it is not enough to say that the label sounds like electro and EBM with low fidelity sound treatments, to affirm that Soil Records has its own sound, which we can link to the figure of SOJ, means that every detail, every harmonic conjugation and every texture that appears in its tracks or in its releases faithfully oozes the essence of this project.

The next album to be released on this label defines this reasoning very well, and it is not a homogeneous work, as each track adopts its own character and uses different sound sources. Dark Rituals is the debut release from Greek producer Alpha Sect on Soil Records, the solo project of George McCall, an artist who divides his musical facet between the post-punk influences of Alpha Sect and also as a member of the alternative post-rock band Sleestream.

Dark Rituals is a release in which strong rhythmic bases prevail, both syncopated and binary, which share the limelight with the majesty of melodies created from minor keys. All these aspects, together with the harshness of its sound, determine a set of attributes that clearly identify the style of Soil Records and the intentions of Alpha Sect to create a sinister and hypnotic environment, very much in accordance with the concept of the album.

Dark Rituals is released on vinyl and cassette formats, and also features notable collaborations with artists such as France’s Valérie Hendrich, who provides vocals on “Résister Pour Exister”, and remixers Trenton Chase, Sydney Valette, Filmmaker, Opioid Slot Machine, R Gamble and Ne Re A.

Release date: November 27th, 2021.