Riitiir starts off strong with "Thoughts Like Hammers" and "Death in the Eyes of Dawn." The former has a riff that will stick in your head for weeks, while the latter features an incredibly catchy hook.
Next comes "Veilburner," which is a solid track, but it can't compare to what follows. "Roots of the Mountain" has a soaring chorus that fittingly sings of wings, eagles, and the sky. Oddly enough, this chorus brings Garden State to mind. See if you can figure out what I mean.
Up to this point, Riitiir is phenomenal. Unfortunately, the second half of the album drags a bit and runs a little long. With 8 tracks clocking in at just over 67 minutes, this is where the record's length becomes noticeable.
"Materal" bears quite a resemblance to Alice in Chains at certain points during the clean vocals. Speaking of the vocals, the dueling vocals throughout the album work extremely well together.
Aside from lengthy songs on a lengthy album, the only true misstep occurs with "Storm of Memories." Its excessive build-up never pays off and leaves us with a rather average song.
Album closer "Forsaken" begins with a piano intro, contains notably good drumming, and then turns into a Slint-meets-The-National mixture at its end.
From the vocals to the hooks to that opening riff, there are a lot of things that I like about Riitiir. All in all, the good by far outweighs the bad on this one.
Grade: B (83.1%)
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