April 28, 2023 by Brian Krasman - 0 comments

PICK OF THE WEEK: Haunting vibes swim as Blood Ceremony return on sultry ‘The Old Ways Remain’

All types of music pay homage to the past and the vibes that come from that era. Metal and heavy music are no different as plenty of bands hitch their style to those who came before them, sometimes downright aping the form instead of carving out their own identities. Part of the issue is it sounds like hero worship based in the modern era. Very few bands transcend and feel legitimately their own spirit.

For five records now, Canadian doom power Blood Ceremony has created art that sounds like it was bled out five decades ago, locked in a safe, and released in calculating manner. Yet, that’s not the case, and it goes to show how much heart and mind Blood Ceremony have invested in not only playing magickal, witchy music that would be firmly at home in the deep past, but they do it with their own personality and charisma, which has made them their own entity. The band—vocalist/flautist/organist Alia O’Brien, guitarist Sean Kennedy, bassist Lucas Gadke, and drummer Michael Carrillo—return with their infectious new record “The Old Ways Remain,” a title based on a lyric from “Witchwood” from their 2013 album “The Eldritch Dark,” and the concept of past spirits haunting the present is encased masterfully in their music that will live in your flesh and bones for years to come. The long seven-year layoff after their last record is satisfied with this 10-track album that proves how special this band is and what an amazing grip they have on their mission and style that continues to haunt us gleefully.

“The Hellfire Club” gets the record off to a fitting start, that being haunting organs settling in, strong psyche riffs riding high, and O’Brien’s vocals leading, albeit more softly than usual. That’s fitting for the track as her flute opens up and joins the keys, and the track gets fiery as hell, punching back and surging before draining into the background. “Ipsissimus” is a powerhouse, jolting and letting the flute flutter, the one-word chorus acting as a goddamn ear worm that refuses to vacate. The guitars layer in some ’70s heat, and all the elements come together to haunt your mind. “Eugenie” is about the 1970 sexploitation/horror film (full name is “Eugenie … The Story of Her Journey Into Perversion”), and it’s a riveting, sultry affair where O’Brien’s vocals truly come to life. “Now comes the hour, now comes to mystery,” she calls as the organs swell (um, no pun intended), guitars charge, and sax adds a seductive edge that devastates. “Lolly Willows” could be a sure-fire hit, the flutes causing your brain to swirl, O’Brien insisting, “She will love you.” Guitars charge up as the story continues, the admission of, “But we hope she’s coming down,” adding a wry sense to the whole thing. “Powers of Darkness” has a flowery, vintage feel, something expected and welcome from Blood Ceremony. The chorus is catchy as hell, and the psychedelic marching makes your heart race, basking in infernal energy.

“The Bonfires at Belloc Coombe” unleashes start-stop power, guitars churning, and violins crying (played by Laura Bates of Völur) as the track heads into a dark shuffle. The tease to dance in the bonfires is infectious, the shadows deepen as the guitar work and flute are in lock step, soulful calls ringing in your ears and into the night. “Widdershins” opens with fiery riffs and alluring verses, the flute playing daring you to tread the left-hand path. Jarring, ominous swirling makes the room spin as the rushing chorus returns for one more, mercifully bleeding away. “Hecate” again recalls spirits from many decades ago, its haunting aura strengthening its grip, melting in smooth, dreamy madness. The track feels like a pop song marred with psychedelic insanity, made into something that still gets into your bloodstream but blackens your eyes and heart. “Mossy Wood” has a rustling, folkish vibe, definitely in line with Blood Ceremony creations from their past. The bass plods as violins scrape new trails, and then everything goes even darker than usual. Mesmerizing playing thickens, synth zaps, and the final steps are encased in an amber sheath. Closer “Song of the Morrow” cools your mind, moving slower and heading into a cosmic stretch, letting hypnosis take total control. The singing is washed out as the flute makes ghosts dance, dark tidings washing over amid guitars electrifying, melodies lapping, and strange noises fully engulfing.

Time stands still for Blood Ceremony, even after such a lengthy layoff, as their world remains unchanged, which is an eternal gift delivered by “The Old Ways Remain.” It is, then, a fitting title for this collection, one that adds to the band’s power of occult dreams and bleeding madness, leaving you wondering how far down the rabbit hole you’re willing to follow. Our guess is pretty fucking far, just like we have, with Blood Ceremony waiting at the end with open arms, ready to greet you at your door.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/bloodceremonyrock/

To buy the album, go here: https://riseaboverecords.com/product/the-old-ways-remain/

For more on the label, go here: https://riseaboverecords.com/

March 16, 2016 by Brian Krasman - 0 comments

Blood Ceremony’s cauldron of vintage evil and ritual wonder spills over on ‘Lord of Misrule’

When a sound grows in popularity and everyone, it seems, catches on and tries their hand at it, the backlash is inevitable. So, too, is the saturation level. But that doesn’t mean there is no merit to a particular sound. It’s just that you might have to sort out the mediocre from the very good, a worthy endeavor if you have the time or interest.

Yes, the occult and vintage path is so heavily trudged now that the grass is dead, and every new person who happens upon the area brings mud into the house. My inbox is littered with these bands, but when I see the words Blood Ceremony in a subject line, I push everything aside to hear what concoctions they’ve dreamt up this time. See, this Toronto-based band has been at it long before the recent wave of newcomers trying to feed off a sound. Over the course of four records, Blood Ceremony have mastered the art of creating music that certainly sounds decades old but always is genuine and thought-provoking. The themes of ritual, bizarre religious history, the devil, evil, and more are wrapped into their alluring music, and on their excellent fourth record “Lord of Misrule,” they bury themselves even more in shadows of the past that have come to roost in the present. In fact, ever since this music arrived, I’ve visited over and over again, constantly infected by their playing and the lore contained within.

Blood Ceremony have been with us for a decade now, and their first record landed in 2008 with their stunning self-titled debut. From there, they’ve returned with regularity, always upping the ante. “Living With the Ancients” arrived in 2011 (“The Great God Pan” often plays on loop in my brain), with their great third record “The Eldritch Dark” turning up in 2013. That record was their most accessible to date, one that seemed to hint they were heading down a path where their material would grow more encompassing to a wider audience. Yet “Lord of Misrule” is a curveball, an album that might have sounded just right in sound following their debut. The band–vocalist/keyboardist/flautist Alia O’Brien, guitarist Sean Kennedy, bassist Lucas Gade, drummer Michael Carrillo–seemed to dust off the oldest texts they could find to draw their fans even deeper into the crypt and their dark, alluring magic. It’s a great sounding album, and it’s one that, with each visit, opens itself up more and draws you right into its heart.

The record starts with the longest cut “The Devil’s Widow,” a track that is ominous at its start, and then it begins punching away. O’Brien’s flute flutters away, and her singing sounds raspier than usual, which occurs often on this record. The simple chorus is one that makes callbacks easier and natural and sticks right in your brain. Really great start. “Loreley” starts with keys pumping, deeper vocals, and a chorus that delves into folk territory. Soft keys trickle in and mesmerize, while warm soloing heats up the song and keeps it bruising to its finish. “The Rogue’s Lot” is a strong one, with doom striking leading the way, and a fuzzy, middle-paced path, with O’Brien wondering, “How do the living raise the dead?” This song has one of the two best choruses on the record, with the call of, “It’s the time and it’s the weather,” hammering home the urgency. The song kicks up dust at the end, with the flute flying and the chorus delivered ever faster. The title track owns the other great chorus, with O’Brien warning, “It’s four o’clock!” and setting the stage for the oncoming darkness and the beasts contained within. The track is burly, really infectious, and bathes in a psychedelic bath in its waning moments.

“Half Moon Street” has a country rock swing to it at the start, something that adeptly sets up this dusty rocker that, once again, should have no problem grabbing your attention and keeping it. The second half of the song hits a new gear, with the guitar playing ruling and the flutes swelling up again. “The Weird of Finistere” is a moody ballad, with O’Brien weaving the tale, noticing, “It’s shadow, my own.” She simply sings the title over and over on the chorus, an easy but effective method, and one draped in emotion. “Flower Phantoms” is like no Blood Ceremony song before it, and possibly after it. It bursts with ’60s girl group power, feeling psychedelically overflowing, a little poppy, and later is totally scorched by the guitar work. This is a really cool diversion to somewhere else, and Blood Ceremony nail it. “Old Fires” lets riffs chug, fiery vocals echo, and some killer doom stomping do its damage and reassert the band’s power. There is something of a Deep Purple edge to this as well, with the soloing and keyboards absolutely burning up. Closer “Things Present, Things Past” is a closing ballad that has all the makings of a 1970s English folk song with its lush acoustics and hazy vocals. Parts of the song seem purposely woozy, which is a nice touch, and as the song progresses, it continues to warp. The final moments lead into a dark tunnel, with the sounds fading, only to come out of the other side and finally dissolve.

Blood Ceremony’s reign has been a fun, intoxicating one, and they leave us guessing with each release. “Lord of Misrule” may stymie anyone who just came on board for “Eldritch,” but for those of us with them since the start, it’s a really satisfying turn even further into black shadows. Their kingdom may be flooded with followers trying to do the same things, but Blood Ceremony remain the rulers, the darkest, most interesting band going that feeds off the vintage feast of evil.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/bloodceremonyrock/

To buy the album go here: http://www.riseaboverecords.com/shop/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.riseaboverecords.com/

June 12, 2015 by Brian Krasman - 0 comments

PICK OF THE WEEK: Lucifer rises from The Oath’s ashes to create spellbinding, alluring debut ‘I’

Every year is full of garbage news that goes along with all the cool stuff that also happens in metal. But sometimes those lousy moments outweigh the really great ones, and that’s how I felt about occult rockers The Oath dissolving before they really got started last year.

The band’s self-titled debut and swan song was our No. 24 album on the 2014 best-of-the-year list, and it was a collection that was enrapturing right from the start. But the union of vocalist Johanna Sadonis and guitarist Linnea Olsson apparently was doomed from the start, and the announcement of their end was shocking. And sad. But Sadonis didn’t let that disappointment define her, and soon afterward, she announced her new band Lucifer, whose first record was one of my most anticipated releases of 2015. How could it not be? Sadonis’ vocals and words are alluring, haunting, and disarmingly evil, and the way her singing carries like a spooky fog make her one of the finest voices in the occult and doom field. We finally got to hear what Lucifer had in store when their 7-inch single “Anubis/Morning” star dropped in January (it was a particularly noteworthy find on one of my vinyl journeys this year), and it certainly whet my appetite for what would come next.

We now have what’s next in our hands with Lucifer’s debut record “I,” seemingly a purposely titled album that should signal this will not be their last. Sadonis, again, is a revelation on this album, showing different sides to her voice and once again commanding your attention. But she has one hell of a helping hand with Gaz Jennings, guitarist from the legendary Cathedral, as well as recently surfaced Death Penalty, and his work on these eight tracks pack a serious punch. Drinking deeply from ’70s and ’80s doom rock (there is a ton of Sabbath influence here), these tracks wrap Sadonis powerful voice with muscular riffs and shadowy darkness that this band hammers home with expertise. Along with Sadonis and Jennings in Lucifer are bassist Dino Gollnick and drummer Andrew Prestridge (Angel Witch and a former live member of The Oath), who hold down the bottom end and give these awesome cuts a nice deal of grit.

The album starts fittingly with “Abracadabra,” which rollicks to life with boisterous drums, a killer riff, and Sadonis’ fiery voice, where over the chorus she prompts, “Say the magic word.” Later the song shifts into classic metal territory, which makes for a pretty cool change, before rounding back. Damn catchy opener. “Purple Pyramid” makes me think back to metal bands I’d find on “Headbangers Ball” in the mid-1980s, especially with the guitar work. The vocals dig a little deeper on this one, with another strong, but somewhat understated chorus. The show of muscle later in the song is a nice touch, as it gets kind of blistering, but it all goes back to the front again, which helps tie the song together. “Izrael” is one of the tracks the band released as a single, and it has nice, textured leads, another masterful vocal performance, and promises such as, “Spread my wings to carry you, I will set you free.” The song has a fantastical feel, but also a moodier one, and it was a pretty good choice as a lead song to lure people into the album. “Sabbath,” well, it won’t be too hard to figure where this song took influence. The riffs are smudgy and doomy, the bells chiming add a sense of ghostly ambition, and the cut bleeds slowly as it should, with Sadonis vowing, “I will sacrifice myself to you.”

“White Mountain” also has a distinct Sabbath feel, with a touch of Dio for good measure, and Sadonis’ vocals work as a seduction tool, pulling you into the humidity so you can become prey. The melodies can be mesmerizing here, and toward the end of the song, the guitars catch fire and fill the final moments with smoke. “Morning Star” has a reflective quality to it, with slower verses and guitars that help create a vortex effect. The chorus punches up a little more, with Sadonis hailing the “unholy daughter of the night,” and the guitar work could burn the hair off your arms with its heat. “Total Eclipse” is a fun one, with the tempo pushing hard and the melodies stomping your guts in a slow-driving fashion. Like many of the other cuts on here, this one changes its face later, bringing more intensity and magic to the proceedings, all going out in a storm of ritual. Closer “A Grave for Each One of Us” begins clean and glimmery, almost as if it’ll be a doom ballad, Sadonis notes, “You live ’til you die,” around a mystical field of sounds. But later, the intensity picks up. The guitars start mauling and tearing at you, and the emotions caterwaul from there, as the sound reaches a crescendo, the music feels like it is preparing for the end of the world, and Sadonis declares her lack of fear over death, almost bringing it on as a challenge as the album closes.

Lucifer feels like a logical next step away from The Oath, as the spirit remains in place but the music goes into some darker corners. It’s great to hear Sadonis totally in control of her fate and unleashing a voice that could contend with anyone in metal. “I” is a great first step for this band, and hopefully this project keeps morphing further into the horrors well into the future. Pretty sure anything they do from this point automatically will catapult to the top of that respective year’s most anticipated list.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/luciferofficial

To buy the album, go here: http://www.riseaboverecords.com/shop/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.riseaboverecords.com/