Morbid Sacrifice – Ceremonial Blood Worship

Hereby the latest review of the older material, before we move to the latest arrivals from Godz ov War. I don’t know about you dear readers, but when I hear about a new release from Godz ov War, I immediately think of an extreme metal from Poland?! If you thought so in this case, then you’re just partially right, because what we have here is an Italian-based quartet going under the moniker of Morbid Sacrifice. They’re mostly playing a mix of death and black metal, much in the vein of the acts such as Venom, Celtic Frost, Sodom, Possessed, Death, Cannibal Corpse and similar old-school extreme metal acts from the late 80s. In other words, this is primitive and old-school death/black metal, something I’m usually big fan of.

The band’s line-up in the time of the recording of this eight-tracker full-length was; ThroatVomit (vocals), BloodSpiller (guitars), WitchFucker (bass & vocals) and SkinEater (drums). Ceremonial Blood Worship is their second full-length, a come-back album to the enthusiastically praised 2020 debut, Communion of the Unholy.

Throughout its eight tracks, Ceremonial Blood Worship is a manifestation of a simple, yet aggressive and nasty mix of black and death metal, and with a plenty of clear thrash metal and even some hardcore beats. Best proof of this claim is to listen to fifth song, “Conjuration”, which is a Sodom cover. Furthermore, there’s this massive flow of energy on the entire album that is imposible to ignore. Vocalist ThroatVomit grunts and roars, BloodSpiller delivering some filthy and nasty riffing, WitchFucker setting the mood and carrying most of the songs with his good bass handling, and finally the drumming from SkinEater that ranges from slow plods to fast hammering hellish blast beats. Lyrical content on Ceremonial Blood Worship deal with usual black/death metal subjects of satanism, blasphemy, desecration, occultism, death and similar themes.

Ceremonial Blood Worship starts with a self-titled slow introduction to the new collection of the songs. If you knew about Morbid Sacrifice before, the sound will immediately become recognizable. “Venomous Messiah” is an old-school death/black track, that is probably the most representative of the band’s sound. It contains some nice tempo changes, while being filled with sinister guitar riffs and grunting vocals. Then comes, “Bloodsoaked Salvation”, which is an caustic and brutal song with a blend of some nasty slow- and fast tempos, paired with some deep grunting vocals. Meanwhile, it’s the bass that really sets the mood for the old-school approach. “Serpent of Abomination” is where hardcore elements kick in, with the great strength of bass and drums, supplemented by some raw and harsh vocals. “Bleed for the Horned King” I think is my favorite track from the album, another fast and energetic death metal song, in the vein of older Cannibal Corpse. The album is ending on a high note with this moody and almost doomish song called, “Alucarda”, with the samples of screaming, demonic growls, chants and morbid yet good delivery from all of the instruments.

Ceremonial Blood Worship was recorded at ‘Macabro Bunker Recordings’, with M. Desekrator working on the production (Deathfucker, Black Ejaculation, Extirpation, Vomitmantik etc.). I must say that the final result is a bit bleak and organic, yet with an old-fashioned appeal that will please fans of the genre and the old-school vibe. It means that the low-fi production is far from faultless, but always in a defined way where everything can be understood, allowing each instrument to shine.

Ceremonial Blood Worship was a short (24 minutes of music) but intense and rewarding listening experience. With the release of Ceremonial Blood Worship, Godz Ov War Productions delivered another slab of filthy & grim blackened death metal from Italy’s Morbid Sacrifice. If if you’re a fan of old-school extreme metal, this album is surely for you!

Go check them out and support the band! More information on this particular album here https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/ceremonial-blood-worship