Review by Jason

Blood Ceremony (2008)

Like Coven’s Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls and Black Widow’s Sacrifice, Blood Ceremony’s debut calls upon dark, occult forces for its inspiration. Witches, sorcerers, the sorrow and suffering amnesiac nepenthe, demons, black magic, satanic and occult imagery, astrology and necromancy, nymphs and satyrs all make their appearance in this ominous collection of spells, invocations and rituals.

The songs are trance-inducing, hypnotic, and ceremonial. ‘Master of Confusion’ opens with a shimmering and haunting Hammond organ before giving way to a huge and downright dirty 70s guitar and bass riff. Haust’s drums crash in and O’Brien’s vocals sing their seductive magic. ‘I’m Coming With You’ and ‘Into the Coven’ are both Sabbath-infused hard rock, the drum lines rolling along with hints of jazz in the flourishes and fills, and O’Brien’s flute adding embellishments and taking an impressive solo, the devilish melody laced with spine-chilling trills. Where the instrumental folk-tinged ‘A Wine of Wizardry’ glistens with pagan overtones of days of yore, ‘The Rare Lord’ blends Jethro Tull into their doomy concoction, the last two minutes shifting the song into an uptempo 12/8 folk/blues groove. ‘Return of Forever’ and ‘Hop Toad’ are both Sabbath/Cream jams, O’Brien’s breathy flute taking on the air of black and regal splendour. Where the Crowley-inspired ‘Children of the Future’ is wave on slow wave of doom, the dirty bass and gargantuan drums propelling the song ever forwards, closing track ‘Hymn to Pan’ at almost eight minutes is of epic proportions, the lyrics calling forth ancient gods against a doomy musical backdrop, a fitting coda to such a menacing and melodic musical ceremony.

There are many who ape that 60s/70s sound of proto-metal bands, of which only a few are successful. Blood Ceremony fall into the latter category. There may be the occasional riff that maybe isn’t as strong as the others, some of the songs may have the occasional moment of weakness, and some songs may be a little overlong, but Blood Ceremony’s 2008 debut shimmers with that antiquated light of mystery, mysticism, and magick. Had Ozzy been female and Black Sabbath had teamed up with Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, the aforementioned Coven and Black Widow, and a host of other 70s rock and prog bands to write the soundtrack to a Hammer Horror film, this is what they may very well have sounded like.

7 out of 10

1. Master Of Confusion
2. I’m Coming With You
3. Into The Coven
4. A Wine Of Wizardry
5. The Rare Lord
6. Return Of Forever
7. Hop Toad
8. Children Of The Future
9. Hymn To Pan

Blood Ceremony – Living With The Ancients (2011)

For their sophomore album, Living With The Ancients, Blood Ceremony’s song-writing and musicianship is notably improved, their ability to capture and express the essence of their dark muse is tighter and more focussed. The songs show a maturity in sound, the band having a deeper understanding of what they want to achieve and how to render it sonically. Individually and collectively, Blood Ceremony have loosened their grip on their musical abilities and let them breathe life into the songs so that they take on an air of their own. They are less contrived, less restrained, and as a result, the darkened forces that permeate their sound is more alive.

As on their debut, Sean Kennedy’s riffs are monstrous horror, his acoustic work subtle and sumptuous, and his lead work is bluesy, melodic, and here more soulful, feel oozing out of every leaden line. Lucas Gadke’s bass rumbles and rolls along beneath the guitars, laying down firm foundations in the bottom end to augment the band’s solid sound and add weight to the huge riffs. Andrew Haust’s drums are straight out of the Mitch Mitchell/Bill Ward school of skin-bashing, the grooves laid down heavy, his fills and flourishes adding shade and colour where the music deems it necessary. Alia O’Brien’s flute-work is still outstanding, singing the most beautiful of melodies or breathing the darkest, most sinister air. Where on the band’s debut, her keyboards were simple and remained adequate throughout but somehow didn’t quite hit the mark, here her simplistic style has developed and though she may not be as adept as Pink Floyd’s Rick Wright or Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, her key-work brings to the sings a vast air of haunting magnificence. And where her vocals were great but limited in range and scope, they too have also developed, O’Brien stretching her boundaries to augment the supernatural menace with soaring and soulful melodies.

8 out of 10

1. The Great God Pan
2. Coven Tree
3. The Hermit
4. My Demon Brother
5. Morning Of The Magicians
6. Oliver Haddo
7. Night Of Augury
8. The Witch’s Dance
9. Daughter Of The Sun

• Visit Blood Ceremony on Facebook here