Celestial Season – Mysterium I
Release Date: 25th April 2022
Label: Burning World Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, Death Metal.
FFO: My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Anathema, The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan.
Review By: Jay Creepy
In the wide world of Black Metal and Doom, there are those bands that you happen to chance upon such as Deathspell Omega and Satanic Warmaster, for example, who are absolutely dark as hell and their albums have a dull almost unmixed quality which add to the total atmosphere of our listening pleasure. Takes you back to discovering dust covered cassette tapes in second hand specialists record shops, doesn’t it?
Celestial Season have that unmistakable sound, ever so slightly but detectable to those (like myself) who love it. Similar to Doodswens and a few other modern releases, this one is a barrage of nasty noise with reverb all over. It’s beautiful. Black Water Mirrors has a gothic tinged sample before opening the Gates of Hell with a slow rumbling tune. Guitars, mellow drums, the bass holds everything like the blood of Satan in place to stick to you. Stefan Reuters is such a good vocalist, he sounds like an end of career Sarcofago, and splinters of Till Lindemann, his words clear but growling at your ear. The song steps up a bit mid way before breaking into a tranquil ballad of sorts. Oh, my Dark Lord, if the whole album is anything like this, I’ll need to change my pants!
Yes it is! Violin and cello courtesy of the classically trained manipulations by Jiska Ter Bals and Elianne Anemaat, enlighten track two, The Golden Light of Late Day. It is done perfectly, without cliché, unlike some bands who over dramatise, this is all combined to the heavy doom which hovers above all. Man, those guitars and bass!!!!! Olly Smit, Pim van Zanen and Lucas van Slegtenhorst take a bow, you are all so fantastic. This is cinematic, with the complete authentic building of worlds such as Pink Floyd did many times.
Endgame is perhaps the closest this album comes to a standard metal tune, and it pounds you into dust. All That is Known comes straight after and has one of the best introductions I’ve heard in a long time. It’s hard to put into words, but I just floated outside my mortal flesh and blood vehicle, so when Stefan came in, I was so lost, fantastic.
The power, the feel of horror itself plunged into a cauldron with the wonders of genuine music is a rare thing to hear. Such commanding of emotions can be a difficult thing to do, Celestial Season have been making music since the early 1990s, they’ve had a long time to nurture such crafts and tools to do so. The use of classical instruments on about 80 per cent of the album aids the atmosphere. In fact, I will be seeking a few of their other releases because Mysterium I has made me a devoted follower. 
(5 / 5)
