### Blood Ceremony: The eldritch dark

#### 15/09/13 || gk

Blood Ceremony was the leader of the female fronted occult rock party in 2008 when they put out their debut self-titled album. That debut with its mix of Sabbath worship, folk melodies, excellent song writing and dark occult lyrics was and still is an excellent example of how good this style can be when done right. The follow up “Living with the ancients” went in a more prog-rock direction didn’t find much favour with me and so I approached their third and latest offering “The eldritch dark” with some indifference.

Luckily, the band seems to have rediscovered its mojo. This is a superb exhibition of classic heavy rock with the guitar and flute often coming together as twin lead instruments and Alia O’Brien is back to singing some ridiculously catchy vocal lines. Album opener “Witchwood” sets the tone with a conventional opening but ends with an excellent flute solo that lifts the song immeasurably. Goodbye Gemini is a bit more energetic and benefits from a damn good vocal line and guitarist Sean Kennedy steps in for the latter half of the song with a very cool and perfectly placed solo. “Lord summerisle”, a tribute to British occult classic “The Wicker Man” is gentle and haunting with bass player Lucas Gadke adding his vocals to O’Brien’s. This mines the same atmosphere as Black Sabbath’s “Solitude” but is somehow more uplifting. Title song “The eldritch dark” starts with the organ being front and center but quickly evolves into a classic 70s hard rock riff fest with Kennedy showing off his chops.

Sean Kennedy’s guitar playing really stands out here. The songwriting is excellent and his soloing is always tasteful and restrained. Alia O’Brien’s vocals are good but it’s her flute and organ playing that has really gone up a notch. Lucas Gadke’s bass playing is very nicely done and just loud enough to hear while his partner in crime, drummer Michael Carrillo is rock solid and not averse to the occasional show of power.

There isn’t anything here that is bad or even dull. The band sounds like they’ve evolved over the last 2 albums and “The eldritch dark” is the result. Sure, you can pick out influences here and there and this sort of music is derivative to a large extent but Blood Ceremony has managed to craft an album that really only sounds like them. The Sabbath worship, the love for prog-rock, the folk elements and that classic 70s hard rock vibe all come together to create a sound that is quite distinct and memorable.

Fans of the whole occult rock scene would do well to check this out and if you have a love for 70s hard rock then you should really check this one out. This is a high quality album from a band that continues to impress.

- Information
- Released: 2013
- Label: Metal Blade
- Website: Blood Ceremony Facebook
- Band
- Alia O’Brien: vocals, flute, organ
- Sean Kennedy: guitars
- Lucas Gadke: bass
- Michael Carrillo: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Witchwood
- 02. Goodbye Gemini
- 03. Lord Summerisle
- 04. Ballad of the Weird Sisters
- 05. Eldritch Dark
- 06. Drawing Down the Moon
- 07. Faunus
- 08. The Magician