May 8, 2023 by A.S. Van Dorston

Toronto’s psych noir legends triumphantly return to their witchy ways on their first album in seven years.

Absence makes the heart fonder, and Blood Ceremony’s return after a seven year break is most welcome indeed. During the explosion of the occult/psych noir bands of the 2010s, I actually took the band for granted, despite a show opening for Ghost in 2012 being a highlight that year. And again, their set at Roadburn in 2016 was a best in fest caliber performance, just as they released their fourth and best album, Lord of Misrule. I had every reason to think the band was still on the rise. But life got in the way, as it does, with Alia O’Brien competing her Ph.D. in ethnomusicology and and getting a full time job as an anthropologist. I was worried I’d never hear from them again, just as I worried about Syd Arthur, Truckfighters and Graveyard. I was chuffed when I heard they finally had new music coming, but concerned when there was talk about getting more pop. Fortunately, The Old Ways Remain doesn’t go down the massively disappointing drainpipes of trendy production like Ghost and Tame Impala, but rather stick with their witchy potion of psych noir, progressive folk and doom. The sound has shifted in that it’s less bottom heavy and does feature more pop hooks.

Opener “The Hellfire Club” establishes that while they’re not full-on doom metal, they still rock, per the breakdown in the second half, flute and guitar solos, drummer Andrew Haust channeling Bill Ward, and Alia bellowing full force. They also haven’t abandoned jazzy prog territory, such on the sax-augmented “Eugenie” and “The Bonfires of Belloc Coombe,” which reaches a Mahavishnu Orchestra-like frenzy with battling fiddle, flute and fuzz guitar. Even better are the memorable hooks such as the swinging chorus on “Ipissimus” and the briskly riffy and melodic doom pop of “Lolly Windows.”

“Hecate” and “Mossy Wood” explore psychedelic folk vibes before the final track, “Song of the Morrow,” that ably recaps the breathtaking breadth and depth of the album. So rather than being the answer to if Tony Iommi stayed with Jethro Tull and they acquired a female lead, Blood Ceremony are more a kin to the scintillating occult psych of prime Purson, and Rosalie Cunningham’s solo ventures. The market is no longer flooded with this particular flavor of psych prog, and it’s all the more essential for it. | Buy