Description
Special 25th anniversary release celebrating the Bewitching Black Metal of Ceremonial Castings !
In then later part of the year of 1996, brothers Jake and Nick Superchi formed a musical group that would come to be known as Ceremonial Castings. While the duo draw from a wide range of musical influences and have done so throughout their career, it is a particular family heritage connection that seems to permeate through the project’s existence and play a large role in their creative endeavors. From an early age, the brothers had learned of their lineage on one side that connected them to infamous writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, who’s great-great grandfather was none other than Salem Witch Trials judge and magistrate John Hathorne. Growing up an hour west of Salem in north central Massachusetts, the brothers learned of the dark history and the shadows it had cast over the state. With such influences in their bloodlines, it was only natural these events would integrate into their writings.
The band’s connection to New England’s dark history has followed them throughout their career, thematically in the topics they explore but also by what some believe to be the curse cast upon John Hathorne’s bloodline, something the brothers have had to experience directly during the recording sessions of what they deemed to be their magnum opus concept album “Salem 1692” in 2008. Plagued with technical problems and physical afflictions to all involved parties that escaped rational explanation, the final result did not meet the band’s standards. As such, 2020 saw the band re-record the entirety of “Salem 1692” to allow the album to finally meet their initial vision.
With a career spanning nine full-length albums, a slew of demos, EPs and splits as well as notable live performances throughout the globe, it is high time for Ceremonial Castings to commemorate 25 years of their existence, a milestone reached in the year 2021. For this occasion, the band has hand selected and carefully re-recorded 18 of their classic songs, as well as two completely new and previously unreleased instrumentals by Nick Superchi, to be released as a double album.
Entitled “Our Journey Through Forever”, these recordings take listeners on a look back at the history of the band and particularly their early works, allowing for a better appreciation of the significant progression seen in their writing throughout the years. A modern, yet never sterile production (with mixing duties handled by Jake Superchi at Obsidian Spells and mastering duties handled by James Sloan at Negative Force Audio Production) allows these songs to breathe in the way the band always intended and allows for a smoother listen as opposed to merely compiling the initial album recordings. Rather, “Our Journey Through Forever” better appreciates these classic songs from today’s perspective and thus is sure to make listeners eager to see where Ceremonial Castings’ journey will lead them to in the future…
TRACKLIST:
CD 1
01. Come Forth…Damnation (04:44)
02. Immortal Black Art (08:04)
03. Our Journey Through Forever (13:42)
04. My Kingdom of Cold Sorrows (07:34)
05. I; A Thousand Fires (07:49)
06. Bewitching Black Metal (06:00)
07. The Purifier of Battle Pt. I (03:18)
08. Desecration of Grace (06:43)
09. The Fall of Man (04:54)
10. Midnight Deathcult Phenomena (06:54)
CD 2
11. Darkness & War (04:03)
12. Into the Black Forest of Witchery (06:20)
13. Sweet Misery I Foresee (09:03)
14. Barbaric is the Beast (04:48)
15. Frostseasongoddess (06:46)
16. Human Slave Infantry (03:26)
17. The Purifier of Battle Pt. II (05:27)
18. A Serpent’s Kiss (04:22)
19. Universal Funeral March (04:48)
20. The Coming of Dawn We Fear (07:23)
GENRE: Symphonic Black Metal
BARCODE: 4260393744257
