The Ritualists Wrestle with Corporate Life in Their Video for “Ice Flower”

The Ritualists have unveiled their farcical video for “Ice Flower” a new single from their upcoming album, Painted People. The band is a Gothic/Art-rock hybrid, in part Suede, and in part Placebo, but done via the lens of old-school goth, and post-punk fans.

The Ritualist’s frontman, Christian Dryden, known for his soaring vocal Andy Bell of Erasure caliber vocal range overlays a galloping bass groove and humming guitar effects, wanted to theatrically visualize the degrading, dehumanizing, and violent tendencies of corporate life, while also putting an emphasis on the sort of ridiculous and rehearsed nature of it all.

To demonstrate this, Dryden enlisted Haroun Al-Shaater & Sebastian Rodriguez who wrote and directed the video, casting professional wrestlers, such as Georges Khoukaz, Eric Krüger, Arash Ravand, Rene Shaw to join the fluorescent light melee.

Further elaborating on the video, Dryden explains:

“Performance art illustrating the farcical nature of violence (in this case, choreographed violence to enhance this point) which, in a way, mirrors the ridiculous/rehearsed/theatrical nature of the corporate world. The “theatricality” is intentional, as the reality of this being an obvious pantomime serves to diminish the brutality and impact of what normally would be considered grotesque & gruesome results of an actual melee. In the case of a corporate environment however, these interactions reflect neither artistry nor heavy messaging, but are rather a direct consequence of human greed & tribalism. The irony lies in the realization that the “corporate dance,” is accepted as routine and rather natural, while the “playfighting” shocks the viewer, despite the former causing the true harm.”

Watch the video for Ice Flower below:

Painted People is out August 2nd via Out of Line Music out on August 2nd.

On Painted People, Dryden adds:

“I am extremely proud of the album, as I think it accurately reflects what is inside my heart, and my attempt at translating introspection to somewhat more universal (sometimes even mythical) themes.  I’d feel genuinely fulfilled if it moved people in the same way I was moved to compose it.”

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