Info
- Band(s): Celestial Bloodshed
- Label(s): Debemur Morti Productions
- Release Format(s): CD
- Release Year: 2008
- Review Date: July 21, 2008
- Author(s): VincentP
From the unhallowed forsaken heartland of Trondheim, Norway, hails Celestial Bloodshed, a 3-piece Black metal commando. With ‘Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed’ they unleash their first full contribution to the scene.
Although the first few minutes of the album may suggest differently, Celestial Bloodshed prefers to keep up the pace. With a delicate melancholic undertone in the riffs it’s almost tempting to compare them to for instance Watain, although Celestial Bloodshed is far less melodic. There’s also more to their sound, as the band temporizes in the 7-minute songs ‘Cursed, Scarred and Possessed’, ‘All Praise To Thee’ and ‘Demon Of Old’, adding an element of atmosphere to the music. While the vocals by S. are closer to grunts than to the more standard rasping shrieks as used by the bulk of the Black Metal vocalists, they fit the material, especially combined with the raw guitar sound. For as far as I’m concerned, the drum sound could have been better, with too much of the cymbals and too little of the snare drums. But apart from that little detail, the mastering is decent, as can be expected from the Necromorbus Studio. Taking everything in account, ‘Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed’ is a good album, but nothing groundbreaking. Then again, good music doesn’t always need to set new standards, so Celestial Bloodshed is certainly a band worth checking out.