Atomic Ritual is the third studio album from

stoner rock Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep. ...

band

Nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...

, released in 2003 by Liquor and Poker and Sweet Nothing Records. The album was reissued in 2022 by the band's current label, Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

Track listing

All songs written by

Eddie Glass Eddie Glass (born December 19, 1970) is an American rock musician best known for his work with punk band Olivelawn and stoner rock bands Nebula and Fu Manchu. Nebula has been Glass' primary musical group since 1997, when he and drummer Ruben Ro ...

and Ruben Romano except where noted. # "Atomic Ritual" – 4:14 # "So It Goes" (Ruben Romano) – 3:54 # "Carpe Diem" – 4:21 # "More" (Glass,

Judgement of Paris Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct uses. Aristotle ...

) – 3:15 # "The Beast" – 3:35 # "Out of Your Head" – 4:11 # "The Way to Venus" – 2:46 # "Paradise Engineer" – 4:10 # "Electric Synapse" – 3:00 # "Strange Human" – 5:05 # "Fin" (Ruben Romano) – 2:43 # "Atomic Ritual Revisited" - 9:13 (hidden track)

Personnel

– guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass, drums, percussion *Ruben Romano – drums, vocals, keyboards, guitar, percussion, artwork *Simon Moon – bass

Reception

''Atomic Ritual'' was released to warm critical praise, with

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

calling Nebula a "hard-working

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

sounds like it has been hanging out in the garage since 1973, blissfully unaware of the changing world outside. Which is definitely to its benefit".

Trivia

Some copies of the CD come with a Liquor and Poker sticker. On one of the flaps of the album case there are 5 lines of text reading: *"In the years of the Primal Course, in the dawn of terrestrial birth,
Man Mastered the mammoth and horse, and Man was the lord of the earth." *"He made him a hollow skin from the heart of a

holy tree A sacred tree is a tree which is considered to be sacred, or worthy of spiritual respect or reverence. Such trees appear throughout world history in various cultures including the ancient Greek, Hindu mythology, Celtic and Germanic mythologies. ...

,
He compassed the earth therein, and Man was lord of the Sea." *"He controlled the vigour of steam, he harnessed the lightning for hire;
He drove the celestial team, and Man was the lord of Fire." *"Deep-mouthed from their thrones deep-seated, the choirs of the aeons declare
The last of the demons defeated, for Man is the lorde of the Air." *"Arise, O Man, in thy strength! the kingdom is thine to inherit
Till the high gods witness at length that Man is the lord of his spirit." Underneath this the initials A.C. are printed. These are the initials of occultist

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...

, the author. This is not Nebula's only Aleister Crowley reference; their MySpace tagline is a direct quote from Crowley: "Do what thou wilt, shall be the whole of the law." "So It Goes" is featured on the soundtrack to ''

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2'' is a skateboarding video game, the sixth entry in the '' Tony Hawk's'' series after ''Tony Hawk's Underground''. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision on October 4, 2004 in the U.S. for the PlaySta ...

''. It also contains references to

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

's book ''

Slaughterhouse-Five ''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life and experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to h ...

''.

References

2003 albums Nebula (band) albums Albums produced by Chris Goss {{2003-rock-album-stub