The Ritual was recorded throughout 1991 and early 1992 at One on One Recording in Los Angeles under producer Tony Platt, with six to seven months spent writing, followed by six weeks of recording.[2] Given their time off from touring, after having completed the tour for Souls of Black as early as the spring of 1991,[3] this was Testament's first studio album not to be released a year after their previous one, as guitarist Eric Peterson noted, "By the end of the [Souls of Black] tour, we were exhausted. We had been doing so much touring and we needed to write a new record. So we went back home and started working on The Ritual."[4] In a 1992 interview with the Deseret News, drummer Louie Clemente noted that, with Platt's involvement in the production, the band had more time to work on the album compared to their limited previous experience in recording studios: "We took the longest time to produce The Ritual. It was a much-needed change. It got to a time when we were pumping out a record every year", and added that the band "needed to slow down" and "needed to chill", following the hurried production of Souls of Black.[2]
On The Ritual, Testament began exploring a slower and more melodic approach while still maintaining their thrash roots. Certain songs on the album, including the title track (the longest song they had recorded at the time) and "Return to Serenity", also see the band continuing to explore a technical and progressive vein that was used on Practice What You Preach and Souls of Black.[5] Clemente has also acknowledged the musical change compared to their previous albums, explaining to Deseret News: "The Ritual is slower and geared toward the old style of metal while The Legacy was pure thrash. In fact, every release has been different. We've progressed naturally." He also stated that Platt's production role within the album helped Testament "get more of a vibe" and "a fresh set of ears to listen to the mix."[2]
The album was a minor success, reaching No. 55 on the American Billboard 200. This would be Testament's highest position in their career, until 2012's Dark Roots of Earth, which reached No. 12 on the same chart. The record also spawned the band's only charting single "Return to Serenity", which reached No. 22 on Mainstream Rock Tracks. By June 2007, The Ritual had sold 485,000 copies in the United States.[6]
Recorded at One on One Studios; assisted by Ulrich Wild
Mixed by Nigel Green at Battery Studios
Assistant mixing engineer: Sarah Bedingham
Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound
"Signs of Chaos", "Electric Crown", and "Deadline" published by COTLOD Music/Zomba Enterprises, Inc. All other songs published by COTLOD Music/Zomba Enterprises, Inc./Mamatoneck Music/Virgin Songs, Inc.
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