The .Ritual. is a compact distortion pedal from Lichtlaerm Audio aimed at post metal and other heavy styles. It takes the familiar Rat style distortion circuit and extends it: Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described it as "An immense sounding extended Range rat - where the additional controls and boost take you up into Metal Distortion territory overall"1. It appeared in Guitar Pedal X's 2024 roundup of favorite compact Rat style distortion pedals1.
Controls
The pedal carries more controls than a standard Rat, which is where much of its range comes from1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bass, Mids, High | 3-band active EQ, ±18dB per band1 |
| Gain | Distortion amount1 |
| Level | Output volume1 |
| Boost | +36dB boost with its own Range control1 |
| Range (Boost) | Sets the boost character: Mid / Treble / Full1 |
| Era | Voicing sweep from White Face to Turbo Rat1 |
| Low-Cut | Cuts low end, up to 1.5kHz1 |
The boost has its own footswitch alongside the bypass switch, so it can be engaged independently of the main distortion1.
Where it sits in Lichtlaerm's range
The .Ritual. is part of a wider compact high gain lineup from Lichtlaerm Audio, alongside the Gehenna distortion and preamp, the Medusa HM-2 style distortion, the Altar high gain fuzz and the Thorn three mode high gain distortion. Players comparing extended range Rat style pedals against other heavy distortions may also want to look at the broader field of distortion pedals1.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, writing in August 2024, placed the .Ritual. among the strongest extended range Rat style distortions available, crediting its additional controls and boost with pushing it into metal distortion territory1.
"An immense sounding extended Range rat - where the additional controls and boost take you up into Metal Distortion territory."
Videos
Max Power's Tasty Tones
Bryce VanHoosen
Truck Driver Shawn
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-08-30
