LORD OF MISRULE

Lord Of Misrule, the 4th album from Canadian Occult rockers Blood Ceremony sees them once again taking a step away from the heavier first two albums, even more so than 2013's The Eldritch Dark. Fortunately it doesn't suffer for it and catches a band at the top of their game. In fact it features the band's most accessible songs so far but don't let that put you off because Lord Of Misrule is a remarkably good album.

Opener The Devil's Widow is probably the heaviest song on the album after the opening lightly picked guitar and rimshots give way it's driving riff and at this point you could be forgiven for thinking nothing's changed. The first signs come on second track Loreley with much cleaner guitars and even a melotron and like much of the album, a really strong melody. The Rogue's Lot mixes the two styles and benefits from an arrangement that doesn't sit still for too long. Vocalist Alia O'Brien continues to improve giving perhaps her best performance so far. Also present is her flute but what is noticeable is her keyboard work is taking more of a back seat than in the past. Lord Of Misrule, the song that is, doesn't have any for example.

The melody on Half Moon Street is so catchy it could have been a hit single in the days before the charts were full of sterile crap, i.e., the seventies which anyone who already knows Blood Ceremony will know is where this band belongs, their retro rock sound more prevalent than ever if anything. This is no doubt helped by a totally analogue recording making it an essential vinyl purchase which my copy is, the warmth and full sound really shining through. The Weird Of Finistere with its slow lilt, a contradiction I know, is haunting ' really lovely. Flower Phantoms is a bit of a surprise, almost having a Motown sound, the drums being the typically recognised Motown pattern so prevalent in the sixties. As if to say in case anyone was worried Old Fires find the band in heavier mode again and it's a killer with Alia's Keyboards playing more of a part than on most of the album. The largely acoustic Things Present, Things Past closes, benefitting from another lush melody. Even when electric guitars come in they are very clean.

Having only mentioned Alia so far I've got to say the rest of the band are brilliant. The rhythm section of drummer Michael Carrillo and bassist Lucas Gadke play with real drive where necessary but have the skill to rein things, capable of great subtlety when required. Sean Kennedy's captivating guitar work is very mature, playing exactly what the song requires.

Overall then, Lord Of Misrule is nothing short of a masterpiece. Some may prefer the earlier heavier stuff but the current sound was hinted at on the last single Let It Come Down so I wasn't surprised. I'm equally at home with this or the last two album, all great in their own way. Best album I've heard this year so far.

After their second album, where they doubled down on their Black Sabbath influences, Blood Ceremony began a process of shifting from a doom metal foundation to their music to a style of heavy psych that more closely fits the Black Widow-y, proto-metal-ish, folk influenced, demonically possessed aesthetic they've been going for since their debut. On Lord of Misrule that process has been completed, and the band has crafted an honest-to-goodness dimensional portal to an alternate 1970s, where they now reside and send albums back to us. Once again, Alia O'Brien's the threefold talent to watch here, with her vocals, organ, and flute really bringing the band's sound together. Even better than its predecessor.

Powerfull occult heavy rocking output from Blood Ceremony, who, in their fourth release, sound as accessible as they have ever done. Sure, the Black Widow feeling is here (especially in the more sophisticated parts such as "The Devil's Widow") but there is considerable difference in the philosophy of the song-writing. Pagan and obscure themes still dominate the lyrics but song durations have reduced by a touch and the heavy rocking riffs are piling up.

Quite a few tracks would easily stream on mainstream radio (Loreley, Half Moon Street, Flower Phantoms to name but a few) and the overall feel of the album is quite relaxed, the late 60's and Sabbath make their mark across the whole album; the doom references are nearly obsolete (exception is the haunting "The Rogue's Lot") and replaced with a street rocking/psych tempo with brilliant flute passages and the economical use of the organ. Other great moments can be found in the title track with its twin melodies and tempo changes, and the beautifully sung "Weird of Finistere". The vocals are exceptional and the filters applied agree with the psych sound the band wants to produce.

There are very few flaws to find on this album, which can be streamed more than pleasantly in its entirety, but there are also few elements that would make it trully exceptional or help it reach masterpiece level. Warmly recommended for heavy rock/prog/retro rock followers, this would be an album that could spin quite a few times in your player.

3.5 stars

3.5 stars. BLOOD CEREMONY are a Canadian band based in Toronto and this is studio album number four for them. Many mention a BLACK SABBATH/ JETHRO TULL sound which is true at times but for me this is Heavy Psych to Psychedelic for the most part. The vocals really bring late sixties Psych to mind, and it sounds like they recorded her vocal parts in a bunker or garage but I'm sure that was to get the desired affect. We get mellotron on three songs but there's not a lot of it. I can't say the occult is something I want anything to do with period but I can ignore lyrics to a point. I'm also not sure if the band is into the occult or if that's a gimmick.

"The Devil's Widow" really starts the album off on the right foot. It sounds like the late 60's to start as the organ boils in the background, then it kicks in with flute then vocals. A great chorus as well, she can sing! Nice guitar solo after 3 minutes followed by a flute solo. A calm after 4 1/2 minutes and reserved vocals will join in. It's like the song starts over 6 minutes in.

"Loreley" is a lighter, poppier tune with vocals and pulsating keys. A catchy beat to this one and some brief mellotron after 1 1/2 minutes and later before 4 1/2 minutes to end it. "The Rogue's Lot" is a heavy tune man. BLACK SABBATH comes to mind here. I like when the flute arrives before 3 minutes and the tempo picks up. Catchy stuff and I like the guitar.

"Lord Of Misrule" opens with the vocal melodies and drums standing out. It kicks into a higher gear quickly though. Some flute when the vocals step aside briefly. "Half Moon Street" has a folky vibe and when the flute starts to dominate JETHRO TULL comes to mind in a big way. The tempo picks up before 4 minutes as we get a rip snorter of an ending.

"The Weird Finistere" opens with mellotron and a relaxed sound. Reserved vocals join in around a minute with intricate guitar melodies. Quite folky and the mellotron returns along with a slow beat. The chorus is catchy. "Flower Phantoms" really has a late sixties sound to it. So catchy and we get some aggressive guitar before 2 minutes as the vocals stop briefly.

"Old Fires" opens with some in your face guitar as the drums pound and the organ fires off some runs. Vocals join in. I like how hard this one rocks. "Things Present, Things Past" is the closing track and her voice might sound the best on this one. This song trips along nicely and the flute will become prominent. Kind of a strange ending.

Man this is so close to 4 stars but I'm just not able to pull the trigger. The enjoyment level just isn't there despite some great moments throughout.