As a Czech I'm a little bit knowledgable about Slovak Metal, and because Czech and Slovak are also very similar languages, I can easily look up information about it too. I can think about a couple of bands that are really good: symphonic death-metallers DEPRESY or the Progressive/Folk band LUNATIC GODS whose album "Turiec" was on my 2018 top album list. Amazingly both bands are not signed but are self-releasing albums - both are very underrated in my opinion. MALOKARPATAN is another good band that has signed with a foreign label and with their eclectic mix of Folk and First Wave Black Metal gained recognition internationally. There is a bunch of other good underground Metal of course. Former members of the excellent Black Metal bands ABBEY OV THELEMA and the now disbanded NEVALOTH (the former one got also recognized internationally because of their eccentric and unique style) founded CEREMONY OF SILENCE whose debut I have the pleasure to review.

Although they haven't released anything so far, CEREMONY OF SILENCE's is being released by the renowned US Death Metal label Willowtip Records. And when I've heard the material I totally get why they would get signed. CEREMONY OF SILENCE play Blackened-Death Metal that is dissonant and technical: it borrows from dissonant Death Metal bands like IMMOLATION or INCANTATION mixed with a blackened, ritualistic flavo in the style of DEATHSPELL OMEGA. To that CEREMONY OF SILENCE add a technical twist that is reminiscent of the style of bands like ULCERATE, AD NAUSEAM, or ZEALOTRY. Their music is dark, twisted, and mostly intense, but in the more melodic parts can be majestic, even ethereal. It is not music centered on hooks, it is feels like a constantly progressing controlled chaos of developing themes and musical phrases.

You can tell immediately that has what it takes in the opener "Invocation of the Silent Eye". It opens with dark dissonant IMMOLATION-style riffing and complicated rhythm that create a hellish atmosphere. That contrasts with a beautiful dissonant melodic section and a brooding, hellish sounding section with a tension building drum is the climax toward which song moves to. "Ceremony of a Thousand Stars" opens with a pulsating kind of riff and the song builds to a DEATHSPELL OMEGA- inspired section with soaring, intertwining lead lines of profound beauty. "Trance of Void" has some great technical riffs coming in intervals between minimalist guitar sweeps, which sounds awesome. "Upon the Shores of Death" is a shorter number right in the middle of the album. It's a bit different form the other song: it's a mournful, mostly middle tempo song with soaring, majestic guitar melodies - it sounds outright bewitching to me. The album doesn't loose steam in its second half: "Black Sea of Drought" is very intense, only briefly ebbing out in some sections, "Arising of No Man" is a more brooding song with buildups to intense peaks. And just listen to the finale of "Into the Obscure Light" - that's how you build a climax.

Technical Blackened Death Metal obviously isn't - and shouldn't - be an easy listen, it took me me a couple of spins to get into this album, but now I totally respect what these guys are doing. You can tell that this music is a result of long immersion and meditation. This is a band that knows that if a tree wants to grow to Heaven its roots have to reach Hell.