Blood Ceremony

Taking their name from a 1972 Spanish horror flick named Ceremonia Sangrienta, Toronto, Canada's Blood Ceremony traffic in authentic '70s doom and heavy prog laden with occult themes and occasional folk and psych rock flourishes, none of it betraying the secret of having been recorded over 30 years after the fact. Fronted by singer/flutist/organist Alia O'Brien, the band issued a pair of well-received efforts before courting mainstream success with the release of 2013's The Eldritch Dark. Subsequent outings, Lord of Misrule (2016) and The Old Ways Remain (2023), saw them continue to work from a dark blueprint forged by bands like <a href="spotify:artist:5M52tdBnJaKSvOpJGz8mfZ">Black Sabbath</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6w6z8m4WXX7Tub4Rb6Lu7R">Jethro Tull</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1QqtUGvZnULbTYLj6y69vO">Witchfinder General</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:55wOEGTc3QKwBJ9gntcOxT">Pentangle</a>.

Beginning in 2006, bandmembers Alia O'Brien (vocals, flute, organ), <a href="spotify:artist:6kY7DKDwm2bt996rMF4CLK">Sean Kennedy</a> (guitar), Chris Landon (bass), and Jeremy Finkelstein (drums) rejected all forms of modern sounds to embrace vintage analog technology in pursuit of their ancient history project, gradually refining their style with shows in Toronto, Montreal, and every town in between. Often performing alongside mind-altering film projections, the band made sporadic U.S. forays in league with the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:7peuJpsA6lf6zQsVokZKt9">Danava</a>, the Illuminati, and Sweden's like-minded <a href="spotify:artist:3HVmba1wHgrLVsVC5IIzkG">Witchcraft</a>. By the end of 2007, Blood Ceremony had secured a deal with England's simpatico <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rise+Above%22">Rise Above</a> label and begun work on their eponymous debut album with producer Pete Hudson. Blood Ceremony was mixed by the renowned Billy Anderson prior to its 2008 release. In the following years, Landon and Finkelstein parted ways with the band and were replaced by Lucas Gadke and Andrew Haust for the recording of the band's 2011 follow-up Living with the Ancients. The next year, they experienced another drummer change and brought in Michael Carrillo, just in time for a tour with <a href="spotify:artist:1Qp56T7n950O3EGMsSl81D">Ghost</a>. The band's third LP -- 2013's The Eldritch Dark -- was produced by Ian Blurton and mastered by Nick Blagona (<a href="spotify:artist:568ZhdwyaiCyOGJRtNYhWf">Deep Purple</a>). It featured a continuation of their heavy sound, with a few quieter moments and pastoral flourishes. Three years later, in 2016, the quartet released Lord of Misrule, which featured the poppier (but no less dark) "Flower Phantoms" and crunchy "Old Fires." January 2019 saw the release of a 7" via <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rise+Above+Records%22">Rise Above Records</a> that included one original, "Lolly Willows," and a cover of <a href="spotify:artist:67ea9eGLXYMsO2eYQRui3w">the Who</a>'s "Heaven & Hell." A long hiatus preceded the release of the band's fifth long-player. Put together during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023's aptly named The Old Ways Remain delivered a mystic trip fueled by cryptic heavy rock and effervescent pagan folk. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi