Dusting Off Old Records - Ancient Ceremony

Mighty Hails to y'all,

Oh, the perks of moving.... (sigh). The best thing about packing  is that one comes across an abundant series of interesting things, which one may have completely forgotten about. Things that for one reason or another did not catch one's attention to be relevant enough to make it around the house. Either way, I enjoy encountering random little surprises, just like the one I am about to tell you.

As I was packing my music collection, I found a little envelope with a rather discolored cover, which includes an agonizing Jesus, some skulls, I guess there is a drawing of a hypothetical Satan, some eyes, a tribal and another Jesus... among other things. This interesting record is called Death Knell Compilation, and it was released in 2001 through Eternal Night Records from Ibague, Colombia. This album comprises an array of great songs originating from many places in the world.  As a matter of fact, I tried to look up a few of the featured songs online and failed miserably (if it ain't on YouTube, it's a relic!). One thing: Do not let the name fool you. Even though the album is promoted as a DM compilation, it contains a great deal of Thrash and Black Metal. Regardless of genre, all the songs are at the same level of atrocity. 

The record hits it off with a classic Colombian DM band called Agony, and a beautiful song from their 2002 Reborn called Sacred. WAY to start off a freaking Metal compilation!  It brought back tons of memories from when I created Latin Distortion back in 2007. Songs like Sacred were the reason behind the show's existence. That right there, fellow reader, was the beginning of the Golden Age of Metal in my life (sigh). As the album progresses, one encounters bands like Dysanchely, Tombe, Denata, Incinerator, Horfixion (proudly Made in Canada), Festerguts, Stormcrow, Warlust, Nefarium, Abomination, Mithras, Throneum, Hatework, and last but certainly not least,  Prosapia. There is a band that I did not include in the list, since I was really blown away by their contribution to this album. They are a legendary BM band from Neumagen-Dhron, Germany, who came to live about 22 years ago under the Name of Ancient Ceremony.  


The band hit it off quite well and started gaining some serious popularity among the metal scene in Europe, where they had the opportunity to interact within the same circles as bands like In Flames, Absu and Impaled Nazarene, among others.   Years later, the band was playing with some of the greatest metal acts of the time, such as Moonspell, Therion and Dimmu Borgir just to mention a few.  Like many other Satanic-influenced acts, Ancient Ceremony did not the survive attacks from the Catholic Church, who protested in 2003 after the band got confirmed to play in one of Germany's largest Metal festivals. Ecclesiastic authorities forced the government to ban the band's act, as they argued that it would openly spread blasphemy and promote Satanism.   Havoc broke because of the early release of their album entitled "P.uritan's B.lasphemy C.all (Ruf-Mord)", whose acronym spells PBC; that being the name of a radical Christian party in Germany. For this reason, many record labels refused to distribute the band's material due to fears of controversy.  Given that there is no rest for the wicked, this religious persecution went as far as to sue the band's vocalist, Chris Anderle, but for the sake of everyone's sanity, nothing really happened and the very controversial album eventually got released through Irond Records in '06.    

Unfortunately the band disbanded back in 2005 and ever since then, no one has heard anything about them.  Until today.... which is when I came across their song on the Death Knell Compilation, Crowned Child and as I mentioned before, it blew my skin away. I am glad to be able to share it with you on this not so sunny afternoon. 

-Stay Metal-Fraulein Andrea MMXI

Cradle of Filth's Lilith Immaculate Video

Greetings Almighty Legions,

I am very pleased to announce the release of the official video of what I consider the best song of Cradle of Filth's Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa:  Lilith Immaculate. But before I go on praising this tune, I have to over emphasize my disappointment with the video. As I have stated several times in this humble blog, I refuse to give up my appreciation for COF; and yet, they continuously fail to meet my expectations. I know I am certainly not alone in this matter.

After I heard that they had released the video for Lilith Immaculate, I can't quite describe what I experienced at that exact moment in time. It was a mixture of happiness, excitement, surprise, nostalgia, and many other feelings mixed into one body (that is indeed a lot to encounter in one moment alone, but I hope I was able to draw the picture). As I proceeded to watch the video, I simply could not stop thinking about how the band has changed (I do not dare to use the term evolved, as my views on the matter may not necessarily contribute in a positive way to the admiration of their musical advancements and the direction they have chosen to take on), particularly in terms of popularity. Then, I went through a few  flashbacks from the glorious times of The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, Cruelty and the Beast, and even Midian. Oh those marvelous memories that will not come back, where COF's videos were the epiphany of darkness and eeriness with a touch of Simon Marsden. There was From Cradle to Enslave: so potent, so direct, so aggressive. What a classic! And then... painful memories haunted me worse than a bad LSD trip. I remembered their recently released Forgive me Father (I have sinned) and my dreams of triumphant times shattered. This face describes that: 
.

I am about to start ranting, so let's get things clear: I understand that once a band makes it into the mainstream scene, they need to stick to whatever is it that makes the moola, otherwise they are at risk of losing that "it" factor and become dust in the wind... On that note, forget passion and dedication and say welcome to decadence and to living like a legendary Rockstar, as long as you are willing to produce whatever sells . I certainly wouldn't mind living such, but you cannot simply forget where you came from, otherwise the essence of what made you larger than life will vanish, and so will the cash, period. Thus, COF's latest work reflects exactly how fame has ruined a perfectly unique band and turn it into what it is now. COF was never your-neighbors'-obscure-garage-band project. I mean, look at their previous line up: Gian Pyers, Darren White, freakin'  Nicholas Barker, and Andrea Meyer (or Haugen or Nebelhexe...) among others; not to mention Paul Allender, Dave Pybus, Sarah Jezebel Deva, and even D.F. himself.   I remember their theatrical performances, for the sake of Gothic ambiance, and so forth, but now it is getting a bit too ridiculous. 


I am certainly not enjoying their videos in HD, as I feel that instead of looking omnipotent, it makes them look absurd, and rather comical.  Forget singing about Satan, when you look like a possessed life-size Muppet, dressed like the Crow. Enough of anger, here is the video so that you can draw your own conclusions.





 And still, even though I have just brutally criticized them, I am not ashamed to admit that I still follow them, I buy their albums and go to their shows. You may ask why, and even if you don't, I don't mind telling you. It is because of songs like Lilith Immaculate that I still see what made me like them in the first place. It may not be From Cradle to Enslave or even that beautiful cover of Hallowed be Thy name, but it is work that has been well-put together. So, I keep on hoping, and hoping, and hoping... that my admiration will not vanish. 


-Stay Metal-
Fraulein Andrea MMXI

    

Rotting Christ - Show Photos

Hails Fellow Metal Lovers,

I have finally finished uploading the photos of the Rotting Christ concert (I know... They are incredibly delayed!) for your previewing pleasure.

Enjoy

-Stay Metal-

MM Dre - dnklschwrz MMXI