October, the wind, the falling leaves... And there are also some heavy riffs, evil organ and flute coming to my ears... Yes, it's time! Stars are aligned, the ancient ones shall rise again "and with strange aeons even death may die". Alia O'Brien, bewitching queen of doom and prog rock accepted to answer our questions about a successful European tour, an exciting single, haunted Toronto and collecting records... Blood Ceremony will also share the stage with doom legends Pentagram and 70's hard rockers Bang for Halloween's night in Burlington, VT and NYC on the 1st of November! Get ready!
Occult Rock Magazine: First of all, thank you Alia for taking the time to answer my questions for Occult Rock Magazine, it's a real pleasure! So first let's talk about your last European tour, what are your impressions/feelings about it?
Alia O'Brien: Every time we've gone out on the road, we've been introduced to amazing bands and inspiring fans, but I would say that this was probably our best tour to date. The live shows were a lot of fun, and the crowds were really receptive, and we had the opportunity to perform in a few places that were completely new to all of us--most notably Moscow. The festivals on this tour were incredible--Temples and Freak Valley were both imbued with such distinct atmospheres, and FortaRock was a magnificent metal spectacle that also boasted a delicious spread provided by Iron Maiden's go-to catering company.
Occult Rock Magazine: The Eldritch Dark Tour was also an opportunity for people to discover and buy your brand new single "Let It Come Down" back with "Loving You", could you tell us some more about it? How did you discover Iron Claw?
I know that Sean has been in possession of a CD reissue of Iron Claw's S/T for a few years now, but I can safely say that our obsession with the song Lovin' You grew out of repeated, beer-addled listening sessions at our friend Katie's bar. When it came time to think about a B-side for our single, it was pretty much a no-brainer.
Blood Ceremony graced our FALL 2012 issue for good reason… they are simply the coolest fucking band ever. Now they have emerged from the studio yet again to bring us their 3rd album and a true rock masterpiece! No wait… A GOD DAMN TRUE ROCK MASTERPIECE! I would underline that 666 times if I could.
When I put this album on I expected to like it but FUCK, it’s even better than I expected! “Witchwood” delivers cool organ and guitar riffs one after the other. The hair on my arms looks like I sprayed them with aqua net… standing straight up through this whole song. It swaggers along as loose as a truck stop hooker and the first two words sung are “Black Magic…”, I can’t get past this song. This is a fucking brilliant track and on top of the awesome musical grooves, vocalist (and organ/flute) Alia O'Brien delivers an excellent melody that stays glued to your brain for hours afterwards.
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE, WAY MORE! ... We’re just getting started! Here comes “Goodbye Gemini” and I’m just shaking my head… I can’t believe it. The flute work at the opening is sick but this thing just explodes into a catchy hook rich rock and roll face ripper! This will be their encore number for years to come.
Next up we have the Wicker Man tribute and bong-reacher “Lord Summerisle”. Just puff and let this track take over. It will certainly make the crops grow. “Ballad of the Weird Sisters” captures some of the best flute work from Alia I’ve heard. She is the Hendrix of flute players. Never has a flute been played with so much soul. There is so much soul and groove from all the players on this album. Everything is perfect… stars aligned… Magic!
The title track, "The Eldritch Dark" shows why Sean Kennedy should go on the list of the top all-time riff masters. He is just stellar throughout this record and Lucas Gadke has achieved at capturing one of the best bass sounds ever recorded. Furthermore, this is some of the best bass guitar work I have heard on any record so far this year. Anyway, back to The Eldritch Dark… yeah this song has some sharp teeth and is sure to be a favorite.
“Drawing Down the Moon” happens and I can’t believe there have been so many great songs in a row. All killer, no filler. The closest this album gets to any filler might be the instrumental track, “Faunus” but it rocks too, I just like songs with vocals so… and it’s only a couple minutes anyway.
The last track is the ambitious 8 minute epic “The Magician”. I don’t remember hearing Alia play organ this well before. It seems she has really been putting in some hours on the Hammond because she’s ripping here. A great choice for an album closer.
This record will propel Blood Ceremony into major rock star status. I feel bad for whatever band has to play after them live. I would not want to have to follow this material. I would fake a belly-ache and go home.
So stop what you are doing and order this album now. I hope Rise Above/Metal Blade printed a ton of copies because this is going to fly! 5/5 Stars
Occult Rock Bands BLOOD CEREMONY and ANCIENT VVISDOM to Support On Highly Anticipated Winter Tour
Mysterious Swedish buzz band GHOST has announced that it will embark on its first ever North American headlining tour in January, 2012. GHOST cult leader “Papa Emeritus” (who takes the stage in the form of “a satanic pope”) and his anonymous ghouls will team up with doom rockers BLOOD CEREMONY and ANCIENT VVISDOM for a two week trek dubbed the “13 Dates of Doom” tour that will launch on January 18 in New York City. GHOST continues to tour in support of its debut album Opus Eponymous, which has been called “amazing” by Stereogum and “a primer on the creation of melodic hard rock” by The Big Takeover.
GHOST floored music fans with its first U.S. shows earlier this year and served notice that it is not only a “band to watch” but a force to be reckoned with for years to come. In its live review of GHOST‘s NYC show, the Village Voice called the group’s performance “lurching and menacing”, saying “Ghost’s sound is like heavy metal trapped in a state of suspended animation since 1973″. Check out the band performing the song “Satan Prayer” as part of its headlining set at the 2011 Maryland Deathfest at this location.
“It is with an evil haunting chuckle that we are announcing that we are finally coming to North America,” states GHOST‘s Papa Emeritus. ”In the name of Satan, we will conduct thirteen rituals in thirteen different cities throughout the United States and Canada and now we are summoning all of our devotees to partake in these blasphemous eves of black magic.”
GHOST‘s Opus Eponymous is a daringly fascinating combination of satanic rock music merged with an almost unthinkable pop sensibility. Enveloped in a shroud of mystery and standing anonymous beneath the painted faces, hoods and robes which their sect demand, the GHOST deliver litanies of pulsating heavy rock and stimulating lyrics which “glorify and glamorize the disgusting and sacrilegious”. The music and philosophies of GHOST specifically target “individuals who have a void in their life perhaps caused by some form of emotional trauma or upset” (research suggests these are most likely adolescents); this dearth can then be alluringly filled by GHOST’s music and philosophies. LA WEEKLY recently tagged the band as part of a hot list of “Bands Bringing Rock Back To Metal” calling GHOST “incredibly catchy dark-rock” with “Hooks and melodies that stay with you for days”.
The itinerary for the GHOST / BLOOD CEREMONY / ANCIENT VVISDOM winter North American tour is as follows:
January 18 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
January 19 Washington, DC Rock N Roll Hotel
January 20 Boston, MA Middle East (downstairs)
January 21 Montreal, QC Corona Theatre
January 22 Toronto, ON The Mod Club
January 24 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
January 25 Saint Paul, MN Station 4
January 27 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre
January 28 Salt Lake City, UT The Vertigo (The Complex)
January 30 Seattle, WA El Corazon
January 31 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater
February 1 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
February 2 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
Toronto-based occult rockers BLOOD CEREMONY will release their sophomore album Living with the Ancients on March 1, 2011 via Rise Above Records / Metal Blade. Living with the Ancients expands on the sound cultivated by the quartet with its critically-celebrated self-titled debut which was released in 2008 and dubbed “skull-crushing by SPIN.
BLOOD CEREMONY‘s distinct style of flute-tinged “witch rock” evolves from an infernal marriage of occult-inspired acid folk and vintage hard rock riffing. After a mind-numbing study of hundreds of witchcraft-themed films, the group began to pour their energies into crafting songs, transforming their fascination for horror into a profane musical vision. Invoking the mischievous “Pipes of Pan”, BLOOD CEREMONY‘s songs are distinguished by singer Alia O’Brien’s invoking flute solos, accenting an instrument long-associated with a list of devilish figures. Although the tag of “Heavy Metal” may be a stretch, there is a sense of heaviness and funereal gloom in the band’s music — as well as a lyrical obsession with eldritch themes — that aligns them with much of traditional Doom metal. BLOOD CEREMONY keeps it simple and heavy; their songs are tempered with strong, brooding melodies that could readily appeal to fans of Black Sabbath and Black Mountain alike.
Living with the Ancients was recorded in Chicago with Sanford Parker (Zoroaster, Yakuza, etc.). The album displays a noticeable growth in the band’s songwriting skill and a strong musical maturity. Wider influences from obscure areas can be heard fluctuating beyond the more obvious comparisons associated their aforementioned debut.
A sneak peak at what Living with the Ancients holds in store can be heard now as the new BLOOD CEREMONY song “Oliver Haddo” has been posted online at this location. The landing page also allows fans to pre-order the new album. Dig it today!
