The appropriately titled "Witchwood" opens the album. The song tells the tale of what seems to be a pretty dark and haunted place. Singer/organist/flutist Alia O'Brian sounds great, and it is no surprise that the band has risen to the top of the heap of occult rock bands that seem pop up everyday. Blood Ceremony are relative veterans of the movement, and it shows. Guitarist Sean Kennedy plays as if he were Hendrix possessed by Tony Iommi, a great combination of blues and metal influences. The band's rhythm section is also quite solid. The song is very complex musically speaking, it goes through multiple sections and changes before dueling guitar and flute solos come into play. I actually quite like the flute played by O' Brian, I think it adds an interesting dimension to the music, much like it did to Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull. A great opener. "Goodbye Gemini" opens with bass/flute instrumental, before pounding drums and garage-like guitars penetrate the song. The song is very rooted in 1960's bands such as Shocking Blue and Coven, but obviously heavier in many respects, combining elements from proto-metal bands such as Blue Cheer and of course the omnipresent Black Sabbath. The lyrics, like many of the songs by the band, concern pagan rituals and rites and mysticism. A great track, epic to say the least. The band's songs can be pretty long, but always take you on a musical adventure, often very complex.
"Lord Summerisle" opens with a hauntingly beautiful electric guitar instrumental, a la Tony Iommi. Speaking of Iommi, the song is obviously influenced Sabbath "Solitude". The sombre and lonely flute is the highlight of the track, one word, gorgeous. The song also features dual lead vocals from O' Brien and bassist Lukas Gadke. The tale seems to concern spirits, pagan rituals, and the heaviness of life. A short track, but my pick for the best song on the album. You need to hear this song. "Ballad of the Weird Sisters" tells the tale of siblings who encounter what seems to be witches and demonic possession, spooky stuff. The fiddle playing is an interesting element to the track, and brings it into the folk realm more than metal. I liked the song, especially the storytelling element to the song. The song does get heavy at the end, with some pretty crushing and doomy guitars over O'Brian's flute.
The title-track comes next. "The Eldritch Dark" is one of the heaviest songs on the album. A sludgy assault of vintage Gibson guitar dominates the song. The most doom metal-like track on the album, it concerns witchcraft and what seems to be the sacrifice of witches. The song is both lyrically and musically heavy, with pretty good results. There is a tad too much flute on the track for me, but it doesn't really take away anything from the track, a damn fine song. "Drawing Down the Moon" again concerns occult rituals, especially of the lunar variety. Musically speaking, Coven would be a reference point here, obviously a massive influence on the band. I love O' Brian's organ playing on the track, an incredibly talented and multifaceted musician. Drummer Michael Carrillo delivers a great performance on the track, pounding the sticks with "Wardian" fervor. The song closes with Kennedy's fantastic guitar leads atop flutes, organ, and crashing drums, a wonderful cacophony of rock goodness.
"Faunus" is the only instrumental song on the album. Flute again dominates the track. With O'Brien's attention full devoted to the flute, she delivers some great playing. Not bad at all, but I actually think the song is begging for vocals. The album closes with "The Magician". A Sabbath like jazz/metal sound dominates the song. The track tells the tale of dark entity named Haddo, who has come to take the soul of the nameless victim in the track. Dark stuff indeed. I like the main riff, it certainly has a nice groove to it. Drumming is again a highlight, very jazzy with a great swing. A classically-tinged organ solo straight out of a Vincent Price movie closes the album in spectacular fashion, before being joined by some great guitar leads, chanting, and some of the crispest drumming you have ever heard. A great close.
"The Eldritch Dark" is very good. I think the band have yet to produce their magnum opus, but are certainly on the right track. Dark, heavy, gentle, sombre, creepy, are all words I would use to describe this album. Fans of bands such as Ghost, Uncle Acid, Purson, and even Electric Wizard will certainly find a lot to like here.
Rating-8.5/10
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