Ceromonies (Ad Mortem Ad Vitam)(Includes Bonus DVD) [Box set]

Such was my excitement and anticipation for this release that I pre-ordered it when it was first announced quite a few months ago. I was particularly looking forward to having live versions of Wail of Sumer / And There Will Your Heart Be Also and Shine as well being able to hear a completed version of From The Fire. On receiving my CD / DVD set my anticipation was fed further by the enticing artwork of the outer sleeve and digipack inside. So far so good. First thing I did was to play the above mentioned tracks from the CD and it was at this point that my heart sank. Wail of Sumer / And There Will Your Heart Be Also is, for me, the best song that Fields of the Nephilim have recorded and I was hoping that this first live version to make it on to CD would add some new dimension to the track (I actually remember being blown away by this song when they previewed it on the "For Her Light tour") but was instead left feeling strangely underwhelmed. Over the years Carl's vocals have been the subject of many debates but to be honest I always felt they added to the character of the songs and, especially on the excellent Elizium album, were able to be both brutal and ethereal at the same time however on the recording in this CD / DVD there is nothing ethereal about the vocal at all. So maybe Shine would be better - Ok this track relies less on delicate vocal nuances but is still a song of light and shade, the vocal is less exposed on this track but again it just doesn't quite gell and that is, for the most part, the problem with this CD / DVD. I can't quite put my finger on it, Andy Jackson's recording of Earth Inferno shows that a Fields of the Nephilim live CD can sound just as good, if not better, than the studio recordings but Ceromonies just doesn't quite do it.

However, it's not all doom and gloom (except where it's supposed to be), there are some highlights on this recording: The version of From The Fire that appears here is far superior to the one that appeared in demo form on Fallen and leaves you wondering what that album would have sounded like if it had been completed. Similarly the live version of Mourning Sun is a real stormer and quite possibly better than the album version. There are, however, a number of continuity errors on the DVD (how many different guitars is it possible for the guitarists to use during From The Fire?) but I'll overlook these as the quality of the video is generally very good, very atmospheric and pretty much puts you right in the middle of the action.

So overall then? My expectations for this were very high, and rightly so as the previous live album - Earth Inferno was excellent and showed just what could be done, but as good as Ceromonies is (and actually it is really quite good in places) it's just not as good as I was hoping for and some of the songs just didn't work. Am I being harsh giving it only 3 stars? Probably but it just didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Four years after the event, and the Fields Of The Nephilim return with a immaculately prepared and constructed live set : after the now 20 year old "Earth Inferno" album and "Visionary Heads" film, the band, whomever they are, and whatever they do, are long overdue a presentation fitting of their current incarnation. With three albums since the last live record, there's a lot of songs to hear.

In short, two CD's (and 2 hours) of music, and a hour long DVD, taken from two shows in London in July 2008, and "Ceromonies", The Fields Of The Nephilim present a new and fitting live experience. There's little repetition from the previous live set, with only "Psychonaut", "Moonchild" and "Preacher Man", and 17 songs not previously on any live record.

Visually, the DVD may only be an hour - but what an hour. The use of imagery, shots, angles, and staging is not that of a regular band, but something far more than that , evoking the kind of shamanistic, transcendary ethos that underpinned the bands work, where the guitars are some kind of portal to a different universe. This band, bearing only the singer from previous incarnations of the name, is undoubtedly an effective, ruthless machine. Gavin King peels out guitars left, right, centre, whilst Lee Newell on drums hits each note with precision. At points - on "Requiem" - the dense percussive wall of sound that was ruthlessly overdubbed may be a little thinner on stage - but the sound is still there, the intent and atmosphere conjured effectively.

Close your eyes, and it feels right. Just like being there.

After all, when the figures on stage are shrouded in smoke, when they are mere shilouettes in hats and the lights and sound are all you need know. It seems instantly familiar, and the actual names and / or faces of the players themselves are largely irrelevant. Some music is all about spirit and feeling, and transcend the identity of the player. The fact is, I don't know who most of the band backing Carl McCoy are, and I don't much care, because they are the Nephilim, who were always an idea instead of individuals. The spirit of the music lives through these musicians, and even though most of them on stage haven't played a note on any Nephilim record, there's no sense that these are a session band or backing musicians but a band - albeit one that performs music written by other people.

Over the course of two nights, this finely honed machine repeat just a handful of songs each night (surprisingly, one of these songs song is the live debut of "From The Fire", taken from the 2002 album "Fallen", which was released by a frustrated record company and violently disowned by the group at the time as worthless and unfinished). The first night sees the legendary "Psychonaut" and "Wail of Sumer/There Your Heart Will Be Also", which are the nearest thing Goth ever got to prog rock with ever longer, denser songs. The second night meanwhile, sees the group barely touch most recent album "Mourning Sun" in favour of long lost LP tracks from Thatcher's Eighties, and a couple of selections from 96's overlooked speed metal classic "Zoon". With so little repetition across the two shows, it's as if the band are determinedly trying to present an epic-length show spread over two nights with experiences that wildly differ. "Celebrate" is brought back to the public eye for the first time since about 1988, a ghost of a song, an echo, a stain, a memory of a song etched into an empty desolation. As the finale of a two night stand of undoubted historical significance for the band, being probably the apex of this incarnations concert career thus far, it rang more as an elegy than a celebration. The two CD's, each taken from a respective night, are in effect one concert spread over two nights, offering a comprehensive overview of the bands work, and their strength as a live act. Any doubts by the skecptical that this band do not deserve this name, or this material, is banished by the confident and powerful performance. This band may not have written some of these songs. But they own these songs. The evidence is here to see.

It is hard to imagine a more revered gothic rock act, a longer running force of darkness, or a more influential underground act than Fileds Of The Nephilim. Formed back in 1984, the Nephilim share much in common with `Disintergration'-era Cure, offering up reverb drenched guitar lines and a frozen atmosphere, but the key difference is that while the Cure were content to meander, lost in their own desolation, Fields of the Nephilim's rage was cut from stronger cloth, the guitars moving from shimmering darkness to raging excess on a knife edge, whilst Carl McCoy's vocals embodied menace rather than misery. This is demonstrated clearly on this massive 2 CD and DVD set entitled `ceromonies' and released by EMI on March 19th (new date) 2012.

Although we are, sadly, unable to comment on the DVD portion of the album, `ceromonies' is a package that oozes quality. A stunning 17 track exploration of the band's illustrious back catalogue, the mixing and mastering was clearly a lengthy and expensive process because the sound quality far outstrips that of normal live concerts. Opening with the rippling menace and growled samples of `shroud' is the perfect showcase as the drums pile in and the keyboards swirl, it is a fine example of the sonic clarity of the mix and an awe-inspiring set opener that draws the audience fully into the experience that is a Fields of the Nephilim show. It's a tense exercise in dynamics, the song building as guitars come roaring in, building a solid wall of sound that threatens to overwhelm before the band pull back from the brink for a flawless rendition of `straight to the light'. As the band rages around him, it is Carl McCoy who typically attracts attention, his world-weary tones combining menace and wisdom like some kind of blackened Tom Waits, peering out from behind the veil of the apocalypse and seeing only desolation and carnage before him. It's a remarkable performance from an artist who has influenced more than most, and the band sound as ferociously tight as you might expect. Chiming bells ring out at the start of `from the fire' before John Carter's throbbing bass rings out, claiming centre stage until the guitars combine to blaze a new path for the track. It is here that you can see the Nephilim's influence on so many bands from Paradise Lost to Type O Negative with the delicate balance of menace and melody perfectly retained.

If `Ceromonies' does, as Carl hopes, mark the end of one phase of Fields of the Nephilim, then it is the perfect epitaph. The ominous brooding of the first three tracks is quickly supplanted, on track 4 (`penetration') by a searing, visceral attack on the senses that sees the band unleash a ruinously metal attack on an audience who had been cleverly lulled into a sense of false security. With the mix providing a crushing weight to the riffs and the drums propelling the track along with a mechanistic fury it's a chance to break out of the velveteen reverie the band have ensnared you in before plunging into the softer `shine' which is equal parts A perfect circle and Joy Division. The rarely heard `wail of summer' appears from behind the cloud of dry-ice induced fog and proves once more to be a delicately crafted work that showcases a mildly progressive edge to the Nephilim's frequently complex work. It's a rare treat for fans, many of whom may never have heard this in the live environment, and as it drifts around you it's hard not to contemplate the countless bands influenced by the band's remarkable music. As the music segues gently into `And there will your heart be also' you can hear, in the background, the applause of the audience as they realise the band has pulled off a blinding manoeuvre that highlights the band's musical subtlety and expansive ambition. The first disc finishes with the pounding paranoia of `trees come down' and the bass-led horror show of `psychonaut' - both tracks providing a fine close to proceedings.

CD 2 is no less mesmerising with `harmonica man' arising out of a sea of fog and noise that comes across like a mix between The Orb and Metallica; elegant and mystical it leads straight to `preacher man' - a chiming, melancholic mix that swirls and eddies around the listener with its folk-tinged guitar line and bass-heavy percussive attack. `Moonchild' is a gravel-throated, fast paced and hypnotic number that stands at odds with `requiem - a slow burning musical gem that takes several minutes before vocals are even introduced. At seven minutes it is a lengthy, emotionally draining work and so it is good that the band opt to follow it with the heavy, progressive `xiberia' which breaks the sombre mood created by its predecessor. Another hard rocker follows in the form of `zoon (wakeworld)' with the band sounding utterly vital thanks to the razor sharp guitars and Carl's gritty voice tearing straight across the surface of the band's metallic fury. One of the true highlights of the album, however, appears next in the form of `mourning sun' which is epic in length and every bit as dusty and desiccated as its creator's voice. A stunning rendition perfectly captured, no further evidence than this one track is needed if you wished to demonstrate the importance of Fields of the Nephilim to the uninitiated. `Celebrate' closes the album and as the audiences handclaps get frantic, a roar greets the return of the band to the stage who proceed to unleash one last devastatingly weighty missive to a crowd who would crawl on hands and knees through broken glass to hear more. Such is the power of the band that even on CD they sound as vital and as unique as any band you're likely to hear this year.

Of course `ceromonies' is not just about the CD - it is a total live experience with the basic package augmented by a full-length DVD of the show which allows the viewer to see the band as up close and personal as one could ever wish for. Sadly the DVD itself was not available for review, but the band have released `Penetration' as a stand-alone video, giving readers the chance to judge for themselves the quality of what's on offer. For true fans there is also a collector's box which contains the CD, DVD, vinyl pressing and random offerings all within a wooden box, which will undoubtedly have the faithful selling off their homes in anticipation.

Overall one can't argue with the sheer quality of `ceromonies'. Overseen personally by the band and mixed to perfection, it is a powerful and adrenalin-charged performance of one of rock's most enduring catalogues. For the band's loyal following this is, of course, essential; but even for the uninitiated this is a welcome and perfectly crafted introduction to a band whose work clearly belongs on the shelves of any self-respecting hard rock fan. Long may Fields of the Nephilim run...

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