Review: Ceremony of Silence – Hálios
For as long as I can remember, I have always possessed a strange fascination with storms. I have spent my entire life living in desert environments and love everything about it (barring the oppressive summer heat), but experiencing true maelstroms of weather is something I have encountered only a few times. Occasional flash floods, severe thunderstorms, and haboobs have been frightening and even meditative moments in my life’s journey, though infrequent and fleeting. In order to attempt to find my escapism in treacherous weather, I often turn to music to fill the gap my mind searches for. Is it possible to truly traverse a threatening storm and feel the insignificance of one’s self in musical form? Well, Ceremony of Silence have returned to answer such a question.
In today’s vast landscape of emerging metal bands, it becomes increasingly difficult to carve out one’s place. Should a group rely on gimmicks, attempt to craft the most brutal breakdowns, or play inhumanly fast and precise so it sounds like your music was made in the sterile and lifeless bowels of a computer program? This Slovakian powerhouse has returned with their second LP to provide a lesson to their peers: quality will always be the great identifier of a band’s output. With Hálios, we are treated to exactly that—high quality dissonant blackened death metal that shows off their song-crafting maturity and confidence in its execution.
Photo credit: Štefan Šimuni
This now trio picks up right where they left off from their fantastic 2019 debut Oútis and have not only avoided the proverbial sophomore slump, but ascended to even greater heights. Invoking a soundscape worthy of the unique and captivating album cover, Hálios brings the desired storm to quench me of my yearning to be insignificant in the wake of the unavoidable and inescapable power of nature’s wrath. A study in meditation through sonic bombardment is presented through suffocating heaviness, but accompanied by atmospheric and melodic moments of reprieve. Here is a journey through the gales thrown at you by greater forces, but the path to a safe port is never questioned as you are guided through the worst with the band’s help.
Right out the gate, we are welcomed with a maelstrom of discordant guitar chords that ring out only to be paired with an unrelenting drumming attack that is to be expected when dealing with this specific niche of extreme metal. However, the performances are anything but straightforward as guitarist Viliam Pilarčík (who also covers bass duty) shows off his technical prowess with constant shifts in swirling riffs and harmony-laden tremolos. Likewise, drummer Matúš S. Ďurčík is more than up to the task by displaying a dizzying percussion attack that will make any seasoned dissonant metal veteran turn their head with constant shifts between blasts and grooves. This is all wrapped with the raspy growls of the simply named N., who has the vocal power to not be left behind in the cacophony presented.
Throughout the entire runtime, Hálios is filled with harrowing passages that also somehow invoke triumphant feelings of personal insignificance against the incomprehensible power of a storm front. The member’s ability to shift ideas and tempos on a dime is a constant relief from being inundated with staleness. There are several moments that make me want to stand and cheer, but these are also matched with devastatingly oppressive sections that work in tandem to crush you and piece you back together. There are also several aspects of the heaviness being pulled back to let the atmosphere do the heavy lifting, invoking the emptiness left in you after taking in the devastation of the constant auditory downpours.
I would be doing a disservice if I skipped over the bass that slaps its bountiful offerings over the album as well. As we all likely know, bass is often the overlooked aspect of extreme releases such as this one, but here, beneath the undertow, are flourishes and runs that help bring each song together to form fully realized ideas and sonic progressions. While not as jaw-dropping as the guitar, drum, and vocal work, it definitely brings a much needed counter to the near-overwhelming barrage to help keep you anchored.
Ceremony of Silence describe this release in a succinct manner by stating:
Hálios represents a breakthrough of the sacred into the temporal world, and sets forth on an eerie journey reenacting old stories inspired by the essence of the ancient Indo-European mythology, entwined in the obscure visions and dreams.
Now, I am not going to pretend like I understand anything this description covers, but in my personal interpretation, this album feels akin to the grandiose feelings of having traversed through hardships while being beset by persistent forces attempting to break you. Just like that of a threatening storm that unforgivingly arrives as a reminder of one’s insignificance in the grand scheme of worldly powers, I am left in awe and wonder as I await its passing, as well as the coming of the next tempest.
5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Hálios releases July 19 via Willowtip Records on bandcamp.
