Ritual Bronze is a new emo project from Cleveland, Ohio, fronted by Ryan Hardwick of hardcore outfit Last Gasp (WAR Records). The band channels the emotive power of early 2000s emo and post-hardcore, drawing influence from acts like On the Might of Princes, The Casket Lottery, and Appleseed Cast, while maintaining a contemporary urgency that feels both familiar and fresh.
Founded in 2025, Ritual Bronze represents a striking departure for Hardwick, trading aggression for aching vulnerability. The project explores deeply personal terrain: addiction and substance abuse, heartbreak and uncanny love, aging out of punk rock, and political depression in an age of authoritarianism. Written largely during a gray Cleveland winter and recorded in summer 2025, the material carries a heartbreaking quality without becoming cripplingly depressing.
The band's debut single, "Brave Little Bird," premiered on Steadfast Records' compilation And The Angels Wouldn't Help You. The track captures the emotional complexity of parenthood: pride mixed with melancholy, hope shadowed by the inevitable passage of time. It sets the tone for what's to come: emotionally raw but life-affirming.
Ritual Bronze will release their self-titled debut EP via Steadfast Records in 2026, establishing themselves as a powerful new voice in the emo and post-hardcore landscape.
