Blood Ceremony - The Eldritch Dark

There used to be a thread on these guys but I guess it vanished at some point. Anyway, Canada's occult rockers Blood Ceremony have a new one on the way. I'm really looking forward to it, 2011's "Living With The Ancients" was one of my favorite heavy releases of that year and they demonstrated definite improvement over their fun but kinda sloppy debut album.

Here is the press release:

Blood Ceremony: The Eldritch Dark (Rise Above Records/Metal Blade Released May 27, 2013)

Import from the UK. Single LP from Rise Above Records (vinyl color unknown). Deluxe gatefold vinyl with metallic lettering.

Since the release of their sophomore album, LIVING WITH THE ANCIENTS, Blood Ceremony has worked hard to solidify their reputation as a worthy live act. Beginning with a well-received showcase at the prestigious Roadburn Festival, the band capped-off a series of 2011 European dates with Sweden's GHOST, playing a sold-out, headline show in London, UK. In the fall of 2011, they completed their first headlining tour of Europe, which saw the band received enthusiastically by fans in Scandinavia and Central Europe. This tour culminated in a performance at the Hammer of Doom VI Festival in Wurzburg, Germany. In 2012 they were direct support for GHOST on the highly successful "13 Dates of Doom" North American tour. Later in 2012, BLOOD CEREMONY performed at Calgarys celebrated NOCTIS V Metal Festival.

After these live performances, BLOOD CEREMONY enclosed themselves within a dank, tomb-like chamber to begin preparations for their third album. After a mind-numbing spell in the analogue womb of Toronto's ProGold Studios, the band is now ready to unveil their newest, and most accomplished, musical offering: THE ELDRITCH DARK.

Recorded and mixed by producer Ian Blurton (Cauldron, Cursed) and mastered by Canadian recording legend Nick Blagona (Deep Purple, Rainbow, Crazy World of Arthur Brown), THE ELDRITCH DARK is a full-length paean to the darker corners of folklore and legend. Containing eight tracks of black magic rock 'n' roll, the album crackles with the excitement of a nocturnal ritual.

Tales of witch-cult gatherings in wooded glens, pacts made in torch-lit abbeys and Victorian magic are accompanied by vintage-style hard rock riffs, snaking bass lines and stirring flute melodies. THE ELDRITCH DARK also sees the band exploring a more folksier side of their sound; most evident in the hymn-like "Lord Summerisle" and the murderous folk-rock epic, "Ballad of the Weird Sisters". 19th century sorcerer, Oliver Haddo, makes a return appearance in the riff-hypnotic album closer, "The Magician".

SUMMER 2013 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR with KYLESA, WHITE HILLS & LAZER WULF.

TRACKLIST:

1. Witchwood
2. Goodbye Gemini
3. Lord Summerisle
4. Ballad of the Weird Sisters
5. Eldritch Dark
6. Drawing Down the Moon
7. Faunus
8. The Magician

I might as well have my paycheck sent directly to Rise Above Records at the moment!

I like this band a lot so I'll be getting it.

It would be cool if Witchood was a cover of the Strawbs tune, would totally fit in with the folksier side and she would sound good singing it.

Here's what the Strawbs song sounds like:






I'll get this album whether it is or not, I like this band.

The sound on this is pretty sucky, but the song sounds great!!



Been playing Living with the Ancients like crazy lately so to say that I'm looking forward to the new on is an understatement.

I need to give these guys (and gal) another listen. As much as I dig on all these retro/doom bands, these guys didn't click for me on the first pass. I think there was too much flute in the music. I hate the flute almost as much as bagpipes.

The flute is probably the main reason this band struck me in the first place, it gave them an ingredient that made them stand out from the plethora of other bands mining this style right now.

Being that I'm a fan of jazz flute players like Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef, Jerome Richardson and Herbie Mann (plus Ian Anderson from Tull of course) probably led to my liking this stuff right off the bat.

Here's a track from their last album as a refresher:

"The Great God Pan" from Living With The Ancients.

S.D. wrote:

Here's a track from their last album as a refresher:

"The Great God Pan" from Living With The Ancients.

That's probably one of the better/heavier tracks from the album. I just remember there being more flute on other songs. A little sampling of it I can take. 2 or more songs and I'm out.

That's one of the big reasons (among others) I can't be bothered with Jethro Tull either. Just don't like flutes. It has little-to-no-place in rock as far as I'm concerned. I'd be more inclined to listen to a kazzoo solo.

Maybe I listened to too much 'Peter & The Wolf' as a child. I dunno.

I don't have an instrumental bias, I have no issues with non-traditional instruments being used in rock. If you go back and listen to 50s rock albums there were lots of saxophone solos, that got mostly weeded out over the years (Pink Floyd and Steely Dan being a couple exceptions) but to me it's usually refreshing to hear something different from guitar/bass/drums.. The new Riverside and Steven Wilson albums both have saxophone, love hearing that sound. Flute is essentially in the same range as a tenor sax and depending on how it is played can sound quite "dirty".

But I can understand how some people just don't "get" the sound.

Now the saxaphone is an instrument I have no problem with. Growing up around 50s & 60's rock music played in the house certainly help develop a propencity towards stuff like Huey Lewis and Billy Joel, whose backing band promenently featured saxaphones. Even though I never had much time for New Jersey's most beloved son Bruce, I have great respect for The Big Man and his horn.

And what child of the 70's doesn't get a chub just hearing this tune...



Scantily clad babes running from a dirty old man, a dude dressed in a nun's habit and a guy in a bear suit. Hilarity ensures!!

More flute and bagpipes please!

This is a really good album, they are sounding more like an actual "band" now that all the members are contributing to the writing/arranging process. Having a few tours under their belt have helped as well. Their debut album was essentially a "project" by the guitarist who wrote all the lyrics/music.

The Sabbath-isms have been reduced on the new album (though still definitely present) and more progressive & folk rock aspects have taken root. Alia is playing organ on most tracks now which expands the tonal palette they have to work with. Their sound is still steeped in the 70s, this is helped by recording the album in an analog studio and using all vintage instruments.

Standout tracks so far:

Lord Summerisle - A mellow folk ballad featuring a vocal duet between the guitarist and Alia and some well placed mellotron.

The Eldritch Dark - This one has a Witchcraft meets Jethro Tull while dancing a jig to pan under the full moon groove. Similar in style to their earlier albums but more assured in execution.

Ballad of the Weird Sisters - This is a great folk-rock track and shows off the maturity in their arranging skills. The addition of violin works beautifully.

Drawing Down The Moon - This track sounds like Curved Air meets Deep Purple which is just about perfect as far as I'm concerned. Some tasty Hammond Organ playing from Alia on this tune.

Easily their best album to date.

Pretty much as I've said before, very cool band but I keep wanting the songs to be more memorable. I listened to a few off this new one and it's much better than before but I'm still not ready to pick a record up.

What is memorable or not of course is wholly subjective and will vary from person to person. I find about 85% of all these retro bands to be forgettable, but there is something about Blood Ceremony that clicks with me. There is a certain personality to their sound that I find refreshing.

Are they a great band? Probably not. But they are a good band mining an interesting sonic niche seldom explored in quite this way circa 2013.

Gonna wait till the new month starts and then I'm going to get the vinyl from Interpunk.

S.D. wrote:

What is memorable or not of course is wholly subjective and will vary from person to person. I find about 85% of all these retro bands to be forgettable, but there is something about Blood Ceremony that clicks with me.

I think that's the nail on the head really, things click at different times for different people. I have been completely unable to get into Kadaver despite being massively on the retro bandwagon with loads of other bands, until I heard a live track from Roadburn that just blew me away, now I will most likely get into the other stuff.

I just think that it has taken me until my advanced years to drop the punk attitude and admit that the early seventies had some great music, something has clicked that never really has before. Btw, I think that Living With The Ancient has some really memorable songs, I'm humming 'Daughter of the Sun' as I type this.

What I've heard of the new record I like, but I'm holding out for the vinyl too.