Blood Ceremony :"The Old Ways Remain"

It only makes that I should review this album on 420. A fan of this rock band's retro prog, I was looking forward to this release. They start off with a smoky boogie, that sounds like it is from 1968. They got lumped into the "vest metal" movement over a decade ago and found female-fronted proto-metal bands gathering some steam, they owe less to Coven and more to Jethro Tull, not just due to the flute solos, but the overall jammy vibe that goes down. The second song relishes in the double-tracked vocals of their frontwoman who is more self-aware of the tone they are creating here. "Eugenie" finds them locking down on a groove that has more beef to it than what we have heard thus far in the album's first act. This album benefits from superior production, as special treatment is given to the vocals. There are some great flourishes of guitar highlighted here as well. 

The pace picks up on "Lolly Willows" , which sounds like it is about some kind of a witch. The more upbeat celebratory tone borders on being too bright for my taste and the writing is less focused. To their credit this album has many compact three minute songs and the jamming is packed into them rather than overindulgent sprawls. "Powers of Darkness" could stand to be darker given the topic. Riff wise it feels more like Alice Cooper. The vocals are strolling around , until it converges onto a more deliberate groove. From this point the album begins to get a little harder grit, which means rocking with more intensity than say Grand Funk Railroad, in their dynamic proggy escapades. 

The occult imagery continues on "Widdershins" as the guitar gets more aggressive. This is as close as they get to metal yet. There is a slight nod to doom, here but I would not call them a doom band . "Hecate" takes a more middle of the road approach and has more in common with the Carpenters. They once again switch gears to the more bardic musings of "Mossy Wood".  The last song is a little darker , which works for me, but it is also not the catchiest tune on the album. They do pull it together and go somewhere,  but does not grab me as much as some of the other melodies on the album. I will give this one a 9, and see how it sits with me. If you like a solid serving of jamming with your retro psyche then this one if for you.  It comes out on May 5th on Rise Above.