On January 16, Ritualmord dropped a stunning music video for “Inifrån och ut,” the brilliant third single, after “Spår” and “Stonerpop,” from their upcoming debut album. Ritualmord is the project of two ex-Lifelover legends: Kim “( )” Carlsson’ and 1853. The music for “Inifrån och ut” was recorded by Carlsson and his frequent collaborator, Belgium’s esteemed Déhà, at the latter’s Opus Magnum Studios in October 2024. 1853 penned the lyrics and recorded additional vocals at Sweden’s Cold Space.
With “Inifrån och ut,” Ritualmord revealed the title and release date of the full-length work in question — This Is Not Lifelover will drop on March 8 via Carlsson’s label Unjoy — Art & Ritualia. The idea of Carlsson and 1853 honoring their past, reclaiming their legacy, and continuing to demonstrate their ingenuity on This Is Not Lifelover is, in my opinion, the best possible music news. The album’s cover photo certainly couldn’t be any more glorious — a recreation of Lifelover’s debut, Pulver (2006), but with Carlsson as the model, whereas a friend of the band named Eleanor appears on the iconic original image.
Ritualmord defined themselves in the following statement:
“A shapeshifting beast to sacrifice.
Conduit of meditations to emanations.
Through the vessels ( ) & 1853,
Ritualmord manifests.
Unbound by genres and style.
Firmly rooted in black metal.
Not as a mere genre, but lifestyle.
With each release, a pursuit to explore.
From neofolk-tinged acoustic rumbles to alternative electronic flirting with industrial.
Drones emerging into post-rock. Some may say post-black metal, someday.
It began as a place where songs from Lifelover and Hypothermia would go.
Behind us are three EPS, ahead of us is the following: our first full-length, This is Not Lifelover.”
Please keep checking back in for further Ritualmord updates.
