Eldritch Dark Gothic Decor - Perfect for Halloween & Horror Themes

If you are already a fan of Blood Ceremony's first two albums, please quit wasting your time with this review and just buy this 3rd installment from the Toronto doom quartet. It is everything you love about them, only just a bit better and more "developed." If you're new to this band, I'd suggest you start with this one and Living With the Ancients (LWTA), as they are different in character and will give you the full scope of what the band is capable of (at least up to this point). As for The Eldritch Dark itself, it is absolutely masterful! The musicianship overall is the best the band has produced. The recording sounds fantastic (clearly with an ear towards 70's classic sounds), the doomy mood is perfect, and the song writing is just that much better than even LWTA. In character, this album is not as heavy as LWTA, and it's not quite as reliant on Sabbath-like guitar riffs. But if you're a fan of doom, please do not let that deter you. Bands are supposed to evolve, and are supposed to contribute something new and original if they can - something not so obviously derivative of their influences, if possible. While I truly love Ancients for what it is, Eldritch departs and shows us a more folk-like take on doom, which works perfectly. Alia O'Brien's vocals are witchy and alluring as always, but it's her flute and organ work that adds the truly unique and "pagan woods" sort of feel - like dancing nymphs and pagan rituals are always lurking in the shadows or just around the next little clearing in the deep pagan woods. Sean Kennedy's guitar work perhaps takes a less prominent role overall (than in LWTA), but this is clearly by choice as the band lets Alia's instrumental work color the moods throughout. If anything, the guitar, flute, and organ conspire to simply use what's needed where it's needed to create the perfect mood for the song. If that means Kennedy lays back here, he does, and if it means he steps out front there, he does. Bassist Lucas Gadke returns and provides some pretty awesome work all through the material, and drummer Michael Carrillo debuts here in recording, although he has been with the group since they toured the U.S. in 2012 supporting LWTA (although he didn't play on that album). But his drum work here is excellent - perfectly supporting and creating the right feel, and never really attempting to steal the attention from the rest of the band.There are eight songs, and the expected themes of witchery, pagan rituals, and so on permeate the work - Blood Ceremony gives you what you want and love about them in that regard! Oliver Haddo makes a return appearance in "The Magician" to close the album out. The cult horror film The Wicker Man is celebrated in the spooky "Lord Summerisle" (featuring Gadke on vocals). "Ballad of the Weird Sisters" is a tale of mystery and horror, to great folksy effect. The title track is probably the closest to anything off of LWTA, ominous and heavy. And "Drawing Down the Moon" is probably my favorite track overall, with just great grooves and feels (and I'm pretty sure they pay tasteful homage to Electric Wizard with a few measures at the very end as the song is fading).I had the pleasure of speaking with Sean Kennedy when they played in DC earlier this summer (of 2013), and he said that this album was certainly more about expressing more of their own style and sound. I agree, and the result is their best work to date. There are no weak moments. There is simply one tasty groove or melody or mood after another. So, to Kennedy's point, perhaps not as "Sabbath-y" as their earlier work, but a necessary departure in order for them to really be their own band, and not risk being seen as "just" a Sabbath-like doom band. This is not to denigrate any of their earlier work - it all stands on it's own and Ancients will likely always be one of my favorite albums, certainly in the doom genre. But clearly they are progressing, and you can hear that from one album to the next. Add this to your collection, you won't be disappointed!