In generation of a broadly arcing thesis on the universal themes carried within the mythos of Earth’s most ancient and/or enduring civilizations on record Zvolen, Slovakia-borne blackened death metal trio CEREMONY OF SILENCE posit their interpretation(s) of the stories of primeval mankind through astutely observed commonalities upheld. In description of the creation of cosmic order, the defeat of apex predators, and the advent of caste by way of heroism and opportunism alike these fellowes arrive upon an open-ended set of universal truths within this darkly inclement death metal sophomore record, once again billowing high their own fantastical atmospheric plumes. They begin ‘Hálios‘ in twinned sacrifice, just beyond the advent of time and space where their embodiment of the burning radiation of the universe itself becomes their storyteller voice. Rather than focus on outdoing or flattening their debut this second album accentuates said voice, acting as a second and blazingly-writ chapter set to unveil the primal and sophisticated drivers of their craft for a brutally focused yet gloriously meandering exploration of moderne extremes.

Cast seemingly out of thin air in 2019 yet formed as a duo circa 2015 Ceremony of Silence centers around the shared mind palace(s) of vocalist, guitarist and bassist Vilozof (ex-Abbey ov Thelema) and drummer, lyricist, and graphic designer Svjatogor (ex-Porenut) both of whom previously played in experimental black metal band Nevaloth together in the late 2000’s/early 2010’s. I’d explored some of this same provenance and commentary back when the band released their debut full-length album (‘Oútis‘, 2019) which I’d praised highly in review, naming it as #31 on my Top 50 Albums of the Year. At the time I’d suggested the album fit naturally among the best of Willowtip past and present with some Ulcerate and Mithras-esque extensions of atmosphere and their evolution beyond the classics-era while also recommending the experience to fans of more recent records from Gorguts and even Bølzer when tracking the level of abstraction, precision and performance emanating from their work. It was more than an insane first impression but a notable event that’d convinced me to buy the record and continue to sing its praises here nearly five years later. It was impossible to avoid going into ‘Hálios‘ with high expectations, they’d not held back on that first record.

A second book, a new plate carved, a freshly minted chapter… there is the sensation of an anticipated return to a familiar place wherein Ceremony of Silence don’t take even a moment’s worth of fanfare in their arrival as opener “Primaeval Sacrifice” strikes into its bestial yet laser-etched dart which brings us back in the radiant firestorm of riff and dissonant ruin that’d defined their first album. Some of this familiarity comes from alienated compositional touch and part of it is likely due to similar production values from engineering and mixing once again coming by way of Miroslav Spevák of SPK Audio but that isn’t to suggest they sound exactly the same, there are both darker and lighter shades to this experience beyond those points. If anything has changed in terms of personage it comes via the addition of the band’s live vocalist Neplex (Porenut) who has been part of their live line-up for some time as well as mastering from Colin Marston who has potentially emphasized the weightier atmosphere available to the nigh psychedelic threads running through the first four or so pieces on this album. As opposed to the virtuosic bombast of the bass guitar on ‘Oútis‘ the tone here is clean and slightly rescinded to give more weight to the heavier layers of rhythm guitar and the major voice of the lead guitars. From my point of view this is probably a bit more “pro” sounding though it loses the pronounced wrangle of the bass parts outside of intended nuance (see: “Light Runs Through Light”).

Within the chiming and blasting wrath of the opening moment’s blitzing past it’d taken me a moment to shake off the mad density of ideas scouring my brains and take stock of the level of skill rattling through not only the opener but its downstream adherent “Serpent Slayer” the hook, the wrangler and the killer up front that should win technical black/death metal fans over immediately with its melodic yet dissonant rush of action. I know that ‘Cutting the Throat of God‘ is probably still fresh in your mind, you’re certainly a fan of this band if you are a fan of Ulcerate per the lightning-struck guitar work alone, but I’d begin to argue that this mood and voicing is quite different in crafting a surreal, contemplative mood which is just as capable of live-wire strikes. There are fangs out and boulders flinging through the skies as “Moon Vessel” runs this sort of gamut, eventually resting on a heady finish. Again, the guitar work on this album is a feat of madness which one could just as well recommend to a fan of more recent Suffering Hour or the second Dodecahedron record with consideration for use of guitar effects and escalating tone. For my own taste there are no dips, closed-end transitions or squarely set delineation between Side A and Side B though it does feel like the aforementioned “Light Runs Through Light” begins to change the subject to higher powers, overseers and the cyclic nature of things realized through these types of personification.

Nothing makes me happier than to have a week or two with a full lyric sheet before I’ve had any say about an album, I cannot emphasize enough what access to poetry and prose does in attuning the eye and ear to the audio-visual language of a (serious) set of musicians and their pursuit of experiential and studied knowledge. With a four page detail of the themes of this album included in the booklet alongside a complete lyric sheet one gets the sense that Ceremony of Silence put care into these words beyond the norm, the lyrics to the first song make this clear enough really, and I’ve nothing but enthusiasm for an artist interested in not only elaborating on the general concept behind their lyrics but sharing their ideas in such a way that their interpretation is almost scientifically open-ended. I’ve chosen to see these stories, mythos and animism as shaping for the structure of culture at its most pure and imaginative state, seeing the genius in the primal myth. With so much of human culture being left to burn out and die for the sake of greying survivalism in these last hundred years an exploration like ‘Hálios‘ might suggest the worth of grasping at the wonder of the ancients a bit longer.

The depths of Side B are relentlessly served via the soaring yet whip-cracking movements of “Perennial Incantation” as some of the most resonant, floatier points of sustain on the album are revealed. Here we find the brutal and the atmospheric married most clearly, eventually rallying atop a single-burst fire blast which ladders us up into the more hotly boiling points of rest. This is Ceremony of Silence at their most fleet-footed and chaotic, a mind-bending heat applied to the skull that makes sure you’ve squirmed through at least some of their brilliantly exaggerative strokes of the senses. We cannot live through this without some melody beyond the laser-sighted strands running throughout this album and the profound closing piece “King in the Mountain” both death metal grooves and slow-arching melody in development ’til its atmospheric ridge is crested and the ghostly wanderings of its mid-point mystify. I’d particularly looked forward to the point of growling within the quietude (re: “Eternal Return”, kinda) and how this refrain spins out into an unexpected lead, throwing in at least one more unexpected moment which not only finishes the ‘melodic sentence’ but surges toward the end with a teeth-rattling rip of a solo.

In taking stock of the depth, or generally profound match made between theme and action found on ‘Hálios‘ it wasn’t long before I’d begin wondering if I’d pointed to ‘Oútis‘ as a cool-as-fuck blackened death record and not admired the purposeful themes set within its already well-filled facet. With this in mind I’d found myself listening to both records back to back for a few days, parsing some decisions made for the sake of continuity here and increasing flow of action there, but generally finding each work thrillingly performed, illustrated, and presented in easily grasped but still impressive chunks. Ceremony of Silence‘s work is perhaps potentially daunting in its chaotic, ripping blaze-through but at just ~36 minutes in length this second album does well to match the overall “ask” of the prior and this consistency is a virtue when given such a rabid level of new information to parse and otherwise enjoy; As a second step taken into their brilliantly glowing portal this was a record I’d had to just let rip at some point, there was no analyzing every intricate motion beyond a general twister of a tempo map, and in this sense it’d provided an enriching experience, one that’d been easy to enjoy on repeat but still a considerable work that’d seemingly doubled the heft of their growing lexicon. A very high recommendation.

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