Foreword by James Close
Altersoul performed for more than a decade under the name Ominous Eclipse, with Ryan Clements on bass. At our first show in 2014, we closed by performing the first song Graham wrote, the first song James wrote, and the first song Ryan wrote for the band. Shortly after, they became the closing numbers of our first studio album as well.
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When Ryan passed away, these songs became even more sentimental. After years of history, they closed out the band's final set - a bookend for Ominous Eclipse, and a tribute to our brother and bandmate. As we transition from Ominous Eclipse to Altersoul, we give you this EP as a reminder of where we came from.Â
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The 'Origins' EP is our return to the songs that made us, recorded for the first time with real drums and real orchestral instruments. It features guest appearances by our friends, including the original drummer of Ominous Eclipse, Andrew. This is our thank you to Ryan, the scene, and everyone who pitched in along the way. Alongside this EP, we share this interactive tour of the band's history. Some of the photos are low quality, we wear this with pride. It shows how long we've been friends and brothers.
Origins
Story by graham Murphy
1. Formation & First Show
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The beginning of our band came after the end of another.
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Ryan and I had played in a punk band called 'Disaster! ...Or Something Like It' back in high school, and when that band ended, we decided we wanted to start something new together. After a few years of writing and looking for people, Ryan introduced me to JD and we started practicing regularly. Later on, Ryan introduced us to Andrew to complete our lineup. We hit the stage for the first time on April 30th, 2014, at the Brockville Memorial Center, under the name 'Ritual'. We were opening for fellow Brockville bands Divine Realm, Choices, and Prevail the Plague. This was the only time we performed under the name Ritual.Â
'Disaster! ...Or Something Like It' members (from left to right): Graham, Clifford*, Ryan, Carl*
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*Clifford and Carl subject to mixup
Disaster being weird
Ryan and Graham play Mortal Kombat
Ryan being interviewed by Nathan Primeau of Forest Fire Films for an exclusive report on Disaster! ...Or Something Like It.
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Photo by Chris Swollenballs of Channel 69 News, 2008
The first meeting of Graham and JD, introduced by mutual friend Ryan at a high school assembly, December 2010
Pigtails
Andrew Poskus, 2014
Ritual First Show, April 30th, 2014. From left to right: Ryan Clements, Andrew Poskus, Graham Murphy, James Close
Ryan Clements at Ritual's First Show, April 30th, 2014
Ritual First Show, April 30th, 2014. From left to right: Ryan Clements, Graham Murphy, Andrew Poskus, James Close
Alternate Logo for 'Ritual'
Big shoutout to the cake decorator at Brockville Dairy Queen in 2013-2014. We used to come in with complex design requests, thinking they would get screen printed, only for them to be manually iced.
First Ritual Merch: Firebreathing Giraffe shirt made by Evan Ferguson
Second Piece of Ritual Merch: Beer Mug made by Evan Ferguson
Ritual Logo next to Ominous Eclipse Logo, shared during first announcement of name change.Â
Ritual announces name change to Ominous Eclipse, June 7th, 2014, receiving two likes.
First performance as Ominous Eclipse, at Club Saw in Ottawa, 2014.Â
James is wearing one of Evan's childhood shirts, it reads "it's all fun and games until somebody loses a wiener."
First performance as Ominous Eclipse, at Club Saw in Ottawa, 2014.Â
Graham is wearing a shirt referencing Rob Ford's mayoral campaign.
First performance as Ominous Eclipse, at Club Saw in Ottawa, 2014.Â
Ryan is wearing a Sublime shirt.
Early Ominous Eclipse performance at 'Wretchedfest' in Jon's backyard. Our friend Beau holds mic.Â
Early Ominous Eclipse performance at 'Wretchedfest' in Jon's backyard.Â
James performs on drums at Wretchedfest
Graham performs on drums at Wretchedfest
2. Changing the Name
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When we initially chose the name 'Ritual', it was meant to be temporary. There were already many other smaller artists using the name. We wanted something marketable to use while we got started, to give us time to think up a unique name with meaning and accurately match our sound. Shortly after our first show, we discovered that we would not be able to continue because a new band emerged under the name, created by Matt Tobin of Dead and Divine. Interestingly, we were offered to open for them in Ottawa if we changed our name.
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A list of potential new names was made. The name 'Ominous' stuck out to us. We were worried that we'd end up in the same situation we were in with 'Ritual' since it was already being used by many other small acts. We tried matching it with a variety of other words, and when 'Ominous Eclipse' was read aloud, it seemed to resonate with all of us. The idea came as a variation from another name on the list, which was 'Eternal Darkness'. Feeling that sounded a little generic, we went with Ominous Eclipse, which follows the concept behind that idea.Â
3. Our First EP
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For the remainder of 2014, we released our first EP ‘Beyond the Apocalypse’, played more shows, and even organized a show in Brockville with Killitorous (still can’t believe we had that posted on the digital public digital display in Brockville). This was also the year of a lot of great hangouts, where we truly bonded as a band.Â
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We’d like to give a shoutout to our good friend Max Southwood, who provided us our album art for our EP and did a lot of graphic design for us during this stage of our journey, including the show poster for the Killitorous show.
Cover art for Ominous Eclipse's debut EP, 'Beyond the Apocalypse', by Max Southwood
Graham recording 'Beyond the Apocalypse', produced by Dale Sauve
'Killitorous' written on Brockville's community sign. No high quality version of this photo exists to our knowledge.
'Killitorous' show poster, August 8th, 2014, Brockville Memorial Center, designed by Max Southwood.
Photo by Jeff Meunier, 2014
James and Graham, simply too drunk
Photo by Jeff Meunier, 2014
Photo by Jeff Meunier, 2014
Photo by Jeff Meunier, 2014
Max Southwood on stage with James for their first live metal performances, May 28th, 2011.
Photo by OnSight Photography
Artwork for 'End of Days', designed by Max Southwood.
Recording of 'End of Days'
Recording of 'End of Days'
Editor's note: Graham's phone camera during this time was dogshit.
In-studio-rehearsal during the 'End of Days' era.
First Ominous Eclipse shirt, modeled by Graham's brother, Chris Murphy
Guitar playthrough for 'Pestilence', filmed by Nathan Primeau of Forest Fire Films
Artwork for 'Pestilence', one of our favorite shirt designs we ever had.Â
Band photo taken at Mavericks shortly after release of End of Days.Â
4. Our First Album
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In 2015, Ominous Eclipse opened for 'The Agonist', our first time playing a show opening for a big touring metal band. During that show, JD set a record for most strings broken in a single set - 3 during the performance, then the remaining strings were ripped off his guitar after the final chord. The very next day, I slapped some new strings on my guitar and recorded all my guitar parts for our first album 'End Of Days' in one day. The next day after that, JD came over and recorded all his parts in a single day as well.
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Someone at The Agonist show had a bad cold and managed to get both of us sick. Since we had given ourselves the deadline of releasing the album on April 30th, the one-year anniversary of the band’s first show, all the vocals for the album had to be recorded in one day as well. Suffering from severe colds and general exhaustion, we went to the now extinct 'The Bunker' studio and recorded our parts, mostly in single takes. While one of us was tracking, the other would be passed out on a couch at the studio. The last song we recorded vocals for that day was 'Beyond the Apocalypse', and when listening to the album, I think it really shows.
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Knowing what we know now, I’m baffled by our decisions when making that album, but I’m fairly impressed by the end result. As proud as we were to have a CD released, this was a perfect road map on How Not to Make an Album. Shout out to Dale Sauve, who worked with us on both our albums and our EP. Also, shoutout to Matt at Ghost Monkey Productions, who did the photos from our show with The Agonist. They are some of my favorite stage shots of us.
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5. Album Release & Other Notable Shows
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On May 7th, 2015, we booked a Brockville hometown show to celebrate the release of our debut album. We were accompanied by our good friends in Insurrection, Caym, and The Undertow. After performing the album front to back, the vocalists from the other bands joined us on stage for a cover of Blood and Thunder by Mastodon, a really cool moment of the whole scene coming together.
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These were nice shows, but we were going to need to get bigger if we planned on performing more often.
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It was a few months later that we played our first show with Chord Productions (Black Widow Promotions at the time), opening for Incantation. Later that year, we also opened for Revocation and Archspire. They are two of my favorite bands, and opening for them in only our second year as a band was an insane milestone for us and myself personally. Special shoutout to Chord Productions, who have included us in many shows over the years, opening for some phenomenal acts and have kept us performing in Ottawa consistently.
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We also became endorsed with Indie Guitars this same year (not sure whatever happened to them?). When looking back on 2015 during this trip down memory lane, I think I'd say it was our biggest year for growth and notable events. I also noticed JD is wearing his Archer Vice shirt for all the shows mentioned.
James with broken string.Â
Graham wearing the same shirt as the 'Disaster' photos above.
Ryan on stage at Mavericks
Andrew on stage at Mavericks
Ominous Eclipse live
Ominous Eclipse live
Ominous Eclipse live
Graham performs at Mavs
Ominous Eclipse live
James wearing Archer Vice shirt.
James wearing Archer Vice shirt.
James wearing Archer Vice shirt, but now with guitar endorsement.
The very first setup of 'Fuck Dungeon Studios', complete with goalie pads, beer, an ant infestation, and a door as a desk.
Disco shitter, circa 2016.
JD's first tube amp in studio space, circa 2016.
Indie Guitar during recording of second album
The piano at Fuck Dungeon Studios
Fuck Dungeon Studios signage, drawn by Graham (panel one), James (panel two), and Nathan Primeau (panel three)
6. F*** Dungeon Studios
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Shortly after the release of our first album, JD began collecting gear and building a studio space for Ominous. We wanted to do things more correctly this time and not record the album in marathon sessions like we had previously. His initial setup was located in the dungeon-like basement of a now-demolished manor. The Wi-Fi name was 'Fuck Dungeon Studios' and the password was 'wheredreamsdie'. These became the unofficial name and slogan for the studio. We now had the ability to record guitars and vocals without the jank of the first album's recording techniques. Plus, we had the only studio on the planet with a disco shitter.
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7. Recording Sinister
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Recording of the second album began pretty much immediately after finishing 'End of Days'. Recording from home was a much slower process our members were divided between Ottawa and Brockville and not gathering as often. We got creative with our methods, including using an armoire and blanket to make a vocal booth.Â
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In fall of 2016, our drummer and friend Andrew had to step away from the band to pursue medical school. We were drummerless until 2017 when we were joined by Jeremiah Marshall. Jer had his debut performance with Ominous at a basement venue called 'Ask a Punk', attended by a select few, then our first single from the new record, 'The Horde', dropped in early 2017.
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Fall of 2017, Jer and I rented a house together and created a new rehearsal spot. We dubbed it the 'Ominous Fortress'. The bathroom was shockingly bad for a house a plumber lived in (we didn't have a photo, but seriously it was grotesque). It was also a townhouse joined to neighbors, and rehearsing our metal music meant the neighbors hated us. Around the same time, we dropped the second single 'Spiral Into Insanity.'
First vocal booth attempt, microphone in Graham's childhood armoire, including giraffe stuffed animal named 'Topper'.
Experimentation with live micing guitar amps, 2017.
A long-exposure photo taken during recording of 'Sinister'.
Jer and Graham on their first day at 'The Ominous Fortress'.
Hangouts at 'The Ominous Fortress'.
First band photoshoot with Jer. Photo by Max Southwood
First band photoshoot with Jer. Photo by Max Southwood
Cover art for 'Sinister'
Jer during filming of 'Sinister' music video.
Photo credit: Dark Moon Productions, 2018
Joe Lyko and Ominous Eclipse during filming of 'Sinister' music video.
Photo credit: Dark Moon Productions, 2018
Ominous Eclipse live at Mavericks
Ominous Eclipse joined by Zac Murray, who performed guest vocals on the track 'Eye of the Raven'
Ominous Eclipse live
Ominous Eclipse live
Ominous Eclipse live
Jer on stage at Cafe Deckuf.
Ominous Eclipse live
Ominous Eclipse live
Ominous Eclipse live
Ominous Eclipse live
Graham performs guest spot with longtime friends in Venator. From left to right: Yamin Sadab (just offscreen), Shakes Tomar, Deen Persaud. Arne Zargarian not pictured.
8. Releasing Sinister
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We dropped our second album, 'Sinister', in September of 2018. We shot a music video for the title track in the basement of the Ominous Fortress, produced by our good friend Joe of Dark Moon Productions. We didn't own a fog machine, so the smoke-filled room effect was achieved by a vape being blown in our faces before each shot. Jer didn't have in ear monitors, so when filming his playthroughs, we had to crank the track through the PA system loud enough for him to hear over his drums. We're amazed the cops didn't show up.
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Our album release show took place at 'House of Targ' in Ottawa. Filling out the bill was Lord Almighty, Iliad, and Mothfist. We played the album front to back and covered 'Backbone' by Gojira.
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For the rest of 2018, we played our first gig in Montreal, and we got to open for The Faceless in Ottawa. When we were offered the Faceless spot, I was the only one available to play it. Normally we would just pass on the offer, but due to the fact it was such a huge lineup, I decided to play with all fill-in members (which is what Michael Keene does with The Faceless and was an intentional joke). Taking those rolls were Ben Bertrand on bass, Mitch Miller on guitar, and Joey Lariviere on drums.
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9. 2019, Covid, and The Eclipse
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Hot off our new album, we had some incredible shows in 2019. Notably, we opened for Deicide & Origin, we played Farmfest in Vankleek Hill on the day Beyond Creation headlined, played with Beyond Creation again in the fall with Fallujah, and played with our friends in Messora - a band which I filled in for live for a while - for the release show of their debut album 'The Door'. We also had our track 'Lost at Sea' featured in Metal Hammer on their 'New Noise Vol VIII' compilation disc.
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Entering 2020, we had a show booked opening for Wilderun & Aeternam which was canceled when the lockdowns hit. We had been working on our 3rd album, but with the ongoing restrictions, we knew it would be a slow process and we didn't want to have a large gap between releases. To try to keep momentum, we recorded and released our single 'Eclipse', produced by Dark Moon Productions. We recorded a music video with each of us filming a playthrough from home to create a video from quarantine theme. Eclipse was a composition from JD, and it was one he felt wasn't strong enough to be a single, and that we should consider a different choice. Once everything was recorded and put together, I feel it turned out to be our best, and the feedback we got supported that belief.
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For the rest of the pandemic, we were inactive both online & offline. Rehearsals weren't being held as Jer and Graham were no longer roommates and rehearsal spaces were unavailable. We didn't have interest in playing social distanced shows and we were all content with exploring other projects. Graham was doing some guitar cover videos on YouTube and JD was doing some bar gigs. It was also during this time that Jer decided to step away from the band.
Jer performs at Vankleek Hill Farmfest, 2019, and sports one of the greatest frowns of all time.
Ryan performs at Vankleek Hill Farmfest, 2019
James performs at Vankleek Hill Farmfest, 2019
Ominous Eclipse performs at Vankleek Hill Farmfest, 2019
Metal Hammer 'New Noise Volume VIII'
'Eclipse' Music Video
'Eclipse' Music Video
'Eclipse' Music Video
'Eclipse' Guitar Playthrough during an eclipse
Lana Andrews
Lana, Graham, and Jer's first night at the Ominous Fortress.Â
The Last Supper of Ominous Eclipse
Lana Fundraiser Show, 2022
Ominous Eclipse Live, 2022
James performs at Ottawa Bluesfest, 2023
James and Graham at Brockville Operatic Society's 'School of Rock' premiere, where James played lead Dewey Finn and Graham performed in the pit band.
10. Post Pandemic
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In 2022, things finally seemed to be returning to a form of normalcy. We were not in a rush to get back onstage and were content with taking our time to find a new drummer or live fill-in. This feeling changed when we heard the news that our good friend Lana was facing medical hardships. Lana is a close friend to the band and had joined us on stage a few times to do vocals. She was also roommates with Jer and me at the Ominous Fortress, was always hanging out with us at our jams, and even was in some of our silly videos we posted. Our music community came together to put on a fundraiser show for her, which we felt it necessary we be part of. Jer was willing and eager to return for the fundraiser show which we played as a 3 piece since JD had previously made commitments.
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A few months later, we opened for First Fragment. Our friend Joey was intended to fill in for drums for this show, but unfortunately he caught covid within a week of the show so we called back on Jer. He came back and we had our first post pandemic show with a full lineup.
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At the beginning of 2023, I moved back to Brockville, which allowed for regular rehearsals with JD, who had built a studio space capable of micing amps and drums. We got together to start making demos for our next album.
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11. End of an Era
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It's hard to come back from a hiatus. Everyone's at different points in their lives and has gotten used to not being a part of the band, and it's not easy to get excited about starting again with no momentum. We had all been jamming with each other since we were teenagers or earlier - JD had been jamming with Ryan since he was 12. We had done band stuff with each other for our whole lives, and then for three years, we didn't.
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When we first started organizing a return, Ryan let us know that he would be retiring from the band to focus on other things in life. Ryan had brought JD and I together and had been there from the start. He was also the one who found Andrew. Without him, this band would not have existed. With Ryan's departure, there were questions on whether we should continue, and ultimately JD and I agreed there were too many songs in the back catalog that we were too excited about releasing to stop. After giving it some thought, we decided we'd wipe the slate clean and start under a new name, so when we announced that Ryan was leaving, we also announced that we would be retiring Ominous Eclipse.
Memories with Ryan
Memories with Ryan
Memories with Ryan
Memories with Ryan
Evan performs karaoke at 'The Bar' in Brockville, 2024.
Evan rehearsing with James and Graham at the Ominous Fortress, 2018.
James' Dad's basement, 2017
Evan performs with James and Graham, 2017.
Photo by "Mega" Mike Graham
Evan performs with James and Graham, 2017.
Photo by "Mega" Mike Graham
Evan and James perform an acoustic birthday party, 2014.
Evan and Ritual perform 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at Graham's family cottage 'Villa Minerva', 2013.
Evan and Ritual open up the pit at Graham's family cottage 'Villa Minerva', 2013. Likely listening to Death.
Graham choosing the music at his family cottage 'Villa Minerva', 2013.Â
Graham choosing the music at his family cottage 'Villa Minerva', 2013.Â
The first meeting of Evan and JD, introduced by mutual friends Ryan and Graham at a high school assembly, December 2010
12. Enter Evan Ferguson
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Evan had been involved with Ominous in many ways since the beginning. He helped build the new studio, he filled in for Ryan at Jer's first show, he was there jamming in the basement of the Ominous Fortress, he was there during the Sinister recordings in JD's dad's basement, he was there at the End of Days release show, he can be heard on gang vocals on the original EP, he was the first person to ever play drums with us, he made the first Ritual shirt, and he was there at the high school assembly where JD and I met. We have been giving Evan our demos for feedback since, well, before we played our first show 10 years ago. There is no one who has been around the band longer than Evan, which made him the perfect fit to take over bass duties.
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13. Ryan's Passing
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We had planned to play three more shows as Ominous Eclipse in Ottawa to celebrate and say farewell to the name, spreading our entire discography between these three sets to give each of our released songs one more day in the sun. Ryan planned to join us for one last retirement show before we returned under a different name. Unfortunately, this isn't how it transpired.
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We lost Ryan on August 11th, 2024.
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There was a scheduled show only a few weeks after - Evan’s first as our official bass player - which was one of the most emotional shows of our lives. We knew we wanted to do a tribute show for Ryan where we performed his favorite songs in a celebration of everything he gave us over the years. That meant the show coming up required a last-minute setlist change when we were already stressed and grieving, so that we could free up all those songs.
Ryan Clements, 1992-2024
Ryan Clements, 1992-2024
Ryan and Graham enjoy class in a glass outside Evan's childhood bedroom.Â
Ryan samples 'The Pride of Nova Scotia' at Villa Minerva, while wearing an obvious bootleg Cannibal Corpse shirt.
Ryan, Graham, and Evan enjoy a beer.
Ryan and Graham disrespect Brockville bylaw #119-89, "A By-Law of the Corporation of the City of Brockville to Regulate Parking"
NHL Tournament with Evan, Ryan, and JD. Christ Merry, and a Happy New Year.Â
Poser Ryan
Ryan shortly after receiving a police warning for open alcohol
Ryan and Graham at the Brockville Bowling Alley, shortly before a karaoke performance of Accept's 'Balls to the Wall'.
Ryan with Magnum
Ominous Eclipse live in Brockville, 2024
Reunion with Andrew to prepare for our final set ever.Â
Dale Sauve performs with Serene Dark.
Zac Murray performs with Gland
The final performance of Ominous Eclipse.
The final performance of Ominous Eclipse.
The final performance of Ominous Eclipse.
Ryan's mom at the Ryan Clements Tribute Show
Longtime friend Shakes Tomar at the Ryan Clements Tribute Show
James joins the pit at the Ryan Clements Tribute Show
Graham receives a thank you card signed by members of the Ottawa Metal Scene for his contributions over the last 10 years
Graham, Andrew, and James after their final performance
James shares a hug with the man who introduced him to Ryan more than 17 years earlier
James and Graham read a message from Ryan
Rest in peace, Ryan.
14. Tribute Show
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The Tribute to Ryan Clements was held at House of Targ in Ottawa, on August 1st, 2025, and the bill was full of our closest friends. The show was made possible by all the old faces from Ominous Eclipse's history. Kristina, who had booked most of our shows, got us Ryan's favorite venue. Jess, who had designed our logo, helped run merch. Nathan, who had shot our first video clips, helped roadie. Dale, who mixed and mastered both our albums, performed with his band. Artwork was provided by Max, just as he had done for our shirts and records in the past. Andrew came back to perform one last show on drums.
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On the stage, in Ryan's old spot, was his bass and a banner image of him standing there. After a few of Ryan's favorites, we performed the setlist from our very first show, from all the way back in the Ritual days. Surrounded by friends, we beat the shit out of that audience, just as we'd done years before, but the songs had taken on new meanings to us all.
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Ryan had made a written statement about his decade with the band, and I decided that we should finish by reading that. JD read Ryan's message live on stage, having never seen it before, and in a moment of serendipity, it referenced a story he had told earlier in the set.
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15. After the Show
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A lot of times with very-personal events, you can build it up so much in your mind that it's impossible for the real thing to deliver. Not this time.
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After months of prep, the story of Ominous Eclipse was finished, and we were all thrilled with the result. The concert and merch sales raised $3,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association, the charity Ryan's family had chosen.
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On the drive to their office to deliver the check, we decided that the new name for the band would be Altersoul. Ryan was there with us when we decided it, on our shirts.
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Now, as our first release, we give you the songs that made us.
1. 'Abandoned' (the first song Graham wrote for the band)
2. 'End of Days' (the first song James wrote for the band)
3. 'Beyond the Apocalypse' (the only song Ryan wrote with the band)
The drive up to deliver the cheque, with new drummer Theo on the phone, when the name Altersoul was decided.
Ominous Eclipse delivers a check to the CMHA
Ominous Eclipse delivers a check to the CMHA
Andrew returns to record drums for Altersoul's debut EP.
With our friend Wenhao, Ryan's coworker, who joined to contribute keyboards to the Origin's EP.
Cover art for 'Beyond the Apocalypse', the final single of Ominous Eclipse