BLOOD CEREMONY — Living With the Ancients (review)

BLOOD CEREMONY — Living With the Ancients album cover Album · 2011 · Traditional Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
FMOTP
The reason I love websites like MMA and its sister site Prog Archives is because I'm always looking for variety. I'm searching for a different combination of elements, something I haven't heard 100 times before. The reason Blood Ceremony is one of my favorite bands at the moment is because they are different from your average "doom metal" band. Alia O'Brien, the singer/ flute player/keyboardist, is the defining element IMO.

I won't describe what their music sounds like, because other reviewers have already done so. Blood Ceremony are far more than just a Black Sabbath clone with a female singer. All three of their releases are well worth checking out, but I'm giving Living with the Ancients 4 stars. Living with the Ancients is a step up from Blood Ceremony's fine debut album. IMO the songwriting has improved. My favorite songs are at the beginning of the album: "The Great God Pan", "Coven Tree", "The Hermit", "Morning of the Magicians". As someone with Asperger's Syndrome, my attention span is naturally short, so it may be that those four songs just appear first!

However, the album is consistently good throughout. The band sustains their songs, which tend to be long by FM radio standards, better than on their first album. The only real complaint I have is that I would like to hear more of Alia O'Brien's skillful flute playing. Her singing, while it doesn't display a significant range, is good and suits the music very well. To wrap things up, Living with the Ancients is a four star album IMO. If you a fan of first generation hard rock, and you've worn out your Uriah Heep records, you'll have a good time with Living with the Ancients.
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adg211288 wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Great review, I must have missed this one when you first posted it. I love everything this band has done so far. This one was my proper introduction to their stuff though (I had heard Hop Toad from the debut beforehand but the debut ended up being the last album for me to hear by them) and is certainly responsible for my love of female fronted doom/hard rock/psych music. You should try out Purson if you don't know them. Not doom or metal, but they're quite similar on the psych side of things.

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