Welcome to Demo:listen, your weekly peek into the future of underground metal. Whether it’s death, black, doom, sludge, grind, thrash, heavy, speed, progressive, stoner, retro, post-, punk/, -core, etc. we’re here to bring you the latest demos from the newest bands. On this week’s Demo:listen we lose our heads over Vancouver’s Ceremonial Bloodbath.
With a name that resonates like an execution gong in the catacombs of your worst nightmare, Ceremonial Bloodbath play death metal with death-doom tendencies and a proclivity for bestial ruthlessness. Their demo, Command Sacrifice, is a five part lesson in the cruelty humans are capable of provided the right implements and circumstances.
According to guitarist/vocalist D.M., Ceremonial Bloodbath is simply “a gathering of four people who have been good friends for many years” who “have the same love for brutal music and the capability and time” to create their own. But that’s a rather innocuous explanation for what is one of the most savages demos we’ve ever heard.
“We took our time writing, twisting ideas, tightening the gears,” says G.C., Ceremonial Bloodbath’s lead guitarist. “Recording was done in a day or so.” Thus Command Sacrifice is a demo replete with all the necessary raw energy and underground atmosphere while boasting songs whetted by routine and devout practice. Says D.M.: “We started slowly building this band almost two years ago and we didn’t feel the need to rush things and have them be half-assed.”
Speaking of slowly building, Command Sacrifice itself commences with a deceptively doomy intro. But besides the beginning of “Hordes of Demons Feeding,” a few instances in the title track, and some apocalyptic halftime parts here and there, Ceremonial Bloodbath are wont to rip and tear, blast and tremolo. And ever with a naturalness indicative of the tight camaraderie between the band members. G.C. and drummer, A.C., for instance, have played in another band together for nearly a decade. So whether they’re meticulously preparing for the bloodbath with sustained doom chords and sparse drumming, or savagely flogging you, you’ll find yourself admiring the chemistry among this quartet.
Copies of Command Sacrifice are yet available from the band, but it’s doubtful they’ll last much longer, so gets yours now while you still can. Ceremonial Bloodbath plays Covenant Fest in a few weeks. Catch them the first night of the fest (Thursday, June 8th) with Phylactery, Blood Incantation, and more. In the meantime the band is already at work on their debut LP. But you should absolutely get into them now, because—trust us—you don’t want Ceremonial Bloodbath taking you unawares.
Check this space next and every Friday for another killer demo.
