Out 3, April 2026
Via Eclipse Records
Words by: Arlena Laessaari
Obey The Sun, a Hungarian grunge metal band, is set to drop their latest EP Desert Ritual and it is every bit as headstrong and grungy as their underground reputation suggests. Formed in 2020, the four-piece comprised of vocalist Tamás Orbán-Ducos, guitarist Péter Szmolnik, bassist Gergő Kelemen, and drummer Krisztián Nagy has refined a sound that feels like a sun scorched, Mad Max road trip through the middle of nowhere. Recorded at ASH Sound Studio with producer Attila Horváth, the record is a perfect balance between a high end nuclear burst of sound and DIY grit that the band carried from their early days in the European metal scene.
The EP functions as a deeply cathartic narrative, guiding the listener through a journey that mirrors the stages of grief, from white hot anger to a final, heavy acceptance. The confrontational first track You Lil’ Shit, is an aggressive, southern style gunshow of a song. Tamás Orbán-Ducos’s vocal performance gives off a distinct Pantera style grit. This same grittiness leads directly into the psychedelic Sabbath night vibes of Cosmic Haze, where the band explores a stoner groove fog of purple clouds and emerald skies. It is here that the desert soaked atmosphere truly takes hold, feeling both mysterious and hallucinatory.
The grit continues with Hellhounds, a track that feels like southern steel and whiskey soaked imagery that captures the feeling of a dusty, high stakes escape where there is no turning back. However, the true emotional weight of the record is found in the final track, Another Chance. Standing out as the most vulnerable moment on the EP, it moves away from aggression to explore the strangling stench of death and a desperate desire to break the shackles of the past. It is a powerful, emotional moment that proves this band is capable of real human storytelling.
Ultimately, Desert Ritual is a story of survival told through music. For those who want their metal to feel like a heavy, soulful struggle for life, Obey the Sun has delivered a ritual that is well worth a listen.
