Ceremonial Bloodbath - The Tides of Blood

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CEREMONIAL BLOODBATH is a band that has shaken up things in the extreme metal underground with their Bestial Black/ Death revolution. Their sound, which is heavily, influenced by the earlier bands of the genre such as the great BLASPHEMY, CONQUEROR, and the awesome TEITANBLOOD. They have garnered comparisons to these bands already and have cemented their place as an important band of the underground with their latest release, “The Tides of Blood”.

The striking part about this album is the songwriting. To say that these songs are on par with that of the legend bands would not be an overstatement. The feeling of this album is punishing, brutal, pummeling and sickening. Let us now talk about some of the songs that stand out. “Primitive” , the song that starts of the record is one that sets a good pace and feel for the entire album. The punishing atmosphere created on this track is reminiscent of the mighty BLASPHEMY.

“Seven Wells” is another highlight to the album. This song is one among the many in which the band explores the slower, more sickening side of their sound. Here the band is full on at their heaviest I should say, even when they go slow, they are able to maintain and even add to their disturbing atmosphere and the overall aesthetics of the whole sound of the album. CEREMONIAL BLOODBATH is consistent throughout the record. The album feels like a cohesive unit rather than a compiled list of songs. This adds to the value and importance of this release.

“The Throat of Belial” should be noted as an important track on the album. This track embodies the spirit and nature of the whole package the band of offering its listeners. Complete with crazy howling, insane solos, and the powerful and punishing drumming and even the bass sound hits right were it needs to. If one is forced to find faults within this album, there is not much to find. But the removal of the Intro track and last track of the album would not hurt this record. I found myself skipping the intro most of the time as it failed to add anything to the album and felt boring. Overall, this is one of the more important releases of the year and you’ll find this on many lists by the end of the year, and deservedly so.

Songwriting:  9
Musicianship:  9
Memorability:  8
Production: 8