Band:	Ceremony Of Silence
Album:	H​á​lios
Style:	Black metal, Death metal
Release date:	July 19, 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Primaeval Sacrifice
02. Serpent Slayer
03. Moon Vessel
04. Eternal Return
05. Light Runs Through Light
06. Perennial Incantation
07. King In The Mountain

All hail H​á​lios, for once again the Ceremony Of Silence is broken!

Ceremony Of Silence are a Slovakian blackened death metal band formed by duo Viliam Pilarčík (guitars/bass/vocals) and Matúš S. Ďurčík (drums) back in 2015. By following in the footsteps of bands such as Ulcerate, Blut Aus Nord, and Deathspell Omega, the duo set their extreme dissonant approach in motion with full-length debut Oútis in 2019. Five years later, the band return as a trio with additional vocalist N. on board for their sophomore effort, H​á​lios.

The title H​á​lios is a representation of the immutable thousand-rayed sun god, which acts as a bridge between the mythical realm and our temporal existence. Through stories inspired by ancient Indo-European mythology, H​á​lios takes you on an intense and chaotic 35-minute journey to a sacred and obscure dimension where the music is just as intriguingly complex as the theme itself. Here, Ceremony Of Silence brings you anything but silence; instead they torment you in every which way possible through 7 powerful high-end dissonant tracks. There's no atmospheric intro to start things off, as opening track "Primaeval Sacrifice" immediately explodes into action without warning, and there's no real breather from here on in. This track is driven by a relentless rhythm section in the form of rapid blast beats and ferociously powerful bass, whilst the riffs continuously swirl in a complex and unpredictable (yet slightly melodic) motion, like an unrelenting tornado guided by the brutal force of nature that's beyond our very grasp. 

All of these elements collide in such a densely layered structure, which, along with an almighty powerful tone, creates a suffocating apocalyptic soundscape. Instrumentation aside, the vocals are deep echoing growls that sound like they're trying to reach out to you through the relentless dissonant storm where they never quite reach the spotlight. This is exactly as the band intended, as it allows the fury of the instrumentation to take control above the vocals, adding a certain mysticism, as if there is a demonic being present beneath the shadows.

There are several moments, such as on the song "Moon Vessel", where amidst the chaos there are some intriguing riff melodies, and due to some exceptional mixing the riffs cleverly shine past the powerfully dissonant rhythm section. "Perennial Incantation" also offers an example of where the riffs once again shine, this time with a hypnotic looping riff that torments you again and again, leading into a fabulous melodic lead guitar finish. It's also worth mentioning that there's a breaking point in the album, at which a short dark and mystical interlude titled "Eternal Return" momentarily acts as a breather, if you can call it that; there's a real sense that pure demonic evil is at force here and intensifying as it builds up, leading into the second half of the album's relentless dissonant onslaught.

H​á​lios is a tormenting and disturbing listening experience; it really pulls you in deep and doesn't let go. You're left wanting to escape, but at the same time are far too engrossed to turn away, and it's here where the Ceremony Of Silence have their dark, evil, and mystic hold on you. This whole concept is very similar to that of Ulcerate, some may even say too much of a resemblance, but I'd go as far to say they give them a run for their money. On the other side there's blackened touches that bring a glimpse of Deathspell Omega to the table, along with a slightly unsettling mystic aura similar to that of Blut Aus Nord, all of which merged together makes for a winning combination on H​á​lios.