Biography
Taking their moniker from the 1972 Spanish horror film Ceremonia Sangrienta, Toronto's Blood Ceremony specialize in genuine 1970s-style doom and weighty prog laced with occult imagery and intermittent folk-psych accents, all delivered without any hint that the material originated decades later. Led by vocalist, flutist, and organist Alia O'Brien, the group put out two favorably received albums before reaching a wider audience via 2013's The Eldritch Dark. Later releases Lord of Misrule (2016) and The Old Ways Remain (2023) found them persisting with the shadowy template established by Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Witchfinder General, and Pentangle.
From 2006 onward the lineup of Alia O'Brien (vocals, flute, organ), Sean Kennedy (guitar), Chris Landon (bass), and Jeremy Finkelstein (drums) deliberately excluded contemporary production techniques in favor of vintage analog gear while pursuing their retro-historical vision, sharpening their approach through performances across Toronto, Montreal, and smaller centers throughout the region. Frequently accompanied by hallucinatory film visuals, the quartet made occasional American appearances alongside Danava, the Illuminati, and Sweden's Witchcraft. Late in 2007 they signed with the like-minded English imprint Rise Above and commenced work on their self-titled debut under producer Pete Hudson; Billy Anderson handled mixing ahead of the 2008 release. In subsequent years Landon and Finkelstein departed, making way for Lucas Gadke and Andrew Haust on the 2011 successor Living with the Ancients. The following year Michael Carrillo assumed the drum chair just prior to a tour with Ghost.
Produced by Ian Blurton and mastered by Nick Blagona (Deep Purple), the band's third album The Eldritch Dark (2013) sustained their heavier approach while adding select subdued passages and pastoral touches. Three years afterward the same quartet issued Lord of Misrule, spotlighting the more melodic yet equally shadowy "Flower Phantoms" alongside the grinding "Old Fires." A 7-inch single appeared on Rise Above Records in January 2019, pairing the original "Lolly Willows" with a cover of the Who's "Heaven & Hell." After an extended break the group returned with their fifth album, The Old Ways Remain, assembled amid the COVID-19 pandemic and offering a mystical journey steeped in enigmatic heavy rock and buoyant pagan folk.
From 2006 onward the lineup of Alia O'Brien (vocals, flute, organ), Sean Kennedy (guitar), Chris Landon (bass), and Jeremy Finkelstein (drums) deliberately excluded contemporary production techniques in favor of vintage analog gear while pursuing their retro-historical vision, sharpening their approach through performances across Toronto, Montreal, and smaller centers throughout the region. Frequently accompanied by hallucinatory film visuals, the quartet made occasional American appearances alongside Danava, the Illuminati, and Sweden's Witchcraft. Late in 2007 they signed with the like-minded English imprint Rise Above and commenced work on their self-titled debut under producer Pete Hudson; Billy Anderson handled mixing ahead of the 2008 release. In subsequent years Landon and Finkelstein departed, making way for Lucas Gadke and Andrew Haust on the 2011 successor Living with the Ancients. The following year Michael Carrillo assumed the drum chair just prior to a tour with Ghost.
Produced by Ian Blurton and mastered by Nick Blagona (Deep Purple), the band's third album The Eldritch Dark (2013) sustained their heavier approach while adding select subdued passages and pastoral touches. Three years afterward the same quartet issued Lord of Misrule, spotlighting the more melodic yet equally shadowy "Flower Phantoms" alongside the grinding "Old Fires." A 7-inch single appeared on Rise Above Records in January 2019, pairing the original "Lolly Willows" with a cover of the Who's "Heaven & Hell." After an extended break the group returned with their fifth album, The Old Ways Remain, assembled amid the COVID-19 pandemic and offering a mystical journey steeped in enigmatic heavy rock and buoyant pagan folk.
Albums
The Old Ways Remain
2023
Lord of Misrule
2016
The Eldritch Dark
2013
Living with the Ancients
2011
Blood Ceremony
2008
Singles
