Review: “Ex Rosa Ceremonia” by Pulchra Morte

Death Doom overlords Pulchra Morte, an act comprised of Adam Clemans (Skeletonwitch, Wolvhammer), John Porada (Wolvhammer, Abigail Williams), Jarrett Pritchard (Eulogy, Brutality), Clayton Gore (Eulogy, Harkonin), and Jeffrey Breden (Leagues Below), began life in 2017 as a supergroup looking to remind the fires of the the Doom inspired Death Metal of the early 80’s. 2019 began with the release of their critically-acclaimed debut album “Divina Autem Et Aniles“, which explores the many faces of Death, before work began on the follow up in the September. Drums were recorded to tape in the analog environment of Earth Analog studios while guitars, bass, vocals, cellos, and everything else were recorded at New Constellation RMP. Produced, engineered, and mixed by Jarrett Pritchard on New Constellation’s 1983 Trident 80B desk with Mastering was courtesy of Maor Appelbaum. The album features a guest lead from Jay Fernandez of Brutality, guest vocals from Heather Dykstra, cello once again courtesy of Naarah Strokosch and backing vocals from a gang of dozens of folks known collectively as The Serpent’s Choir: Jim Adolphson (Noose Rot), Archaon (1349), Jason Avery (Eulogy/Monstrosity), Corey Barhorst  (Black Tusk), Dylan Barnes-Trout, Caleb Bergen (Sleepwalkers), Jason Blackerby, Chase Brown, Mike Browning (Nocturnus AD), Maria Burheim, Noah Cabitto (Affasia), Matt Castro, Mike Connors, Blaine Cook (The Accüsed), Vanessa Cordoba (Insatanity), Josh Crouse  (Lecherous Nocturne), Ross Dolan  (Immolation), Kim Dylla (Gwar), Charles Elliott (Abysmal Dawn), Diane Farris, Damiano Fedeli (Nihilo), Andrew Gerrity  (Wolvhammer), Matt Harvey (Exhumed), Dan Horton, Ryan Huff, John Jarvis (Scour), Øyvind Kaslegard (Svart Lotus), Espi Kvlt (Seas Of Winter), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Jared Louche (Chemlab), Chris Lytle (Insatanity), Sage MacDonald, Scott MacDonald, Danielle Masek, Matt McClelland (Yakuza), Karen Milligan, Sean Milligan, Erika Morgengrau  (Morgengrau), Jamey Morris, Nick Oliveri (Mondo Generator), Ravn (1349), Billy C. Robinson (Cloak), Blood Slaughter, Tor Stavenes (Svart Lotus/1349), Jake Superchi (Uada), Eric Syre (Thesyre), Jeff Tandy (Trenchant), Scott Taysom (Cloak), Oliver Thiel, Kyle Thomas (Exhorder), Mike Thompson (Withered), Terry Thornton (Last Transgression), Tim Van Velthuysen, Rob Verret, Kevin Warhaft, Matt Wilson…

Ex Rosa Ceremonia” is an album that given the critically acclaimed nature of its predecessor and the calibre of the guests has set a high bar for itself before the triangular shaped play button has been pressed. Their debut is an album of sublime magnificence that may have seen the end of Skeleton Witch, a band who in 2018’s “Devouring The Radiant Light” delivered a jaw dropping piece of work in their own right. Blackened, Doom laden Death Metal is the work of Pulchra Morte, but even within that, their sound is hard to pin down to a genre. “The Serpents Choir” has a Black Sabbath esq solo while it’s clean crisp drum sound is raw and primitive against Clemans Blackened Death Metal vocals. His storytelling capabilities lyrically are phenomenal as he depicts rich scenes during the weighty “Fires of Coil“, his use of spoken word and pitching to provide different voices makes him the ideal vocalist for this project. Gutteral roars gargling blood are contrasted with throat grating shrill moments and those spoken words are a dark turn down a dimmly lit road in the dead of the night. If you’re not a Black Metal fan, then the drum sound may take a little getting used to due to its raw nature, the tom hits in particular standing out on an analogue recording. “Knife of the Will” introduces some clean vocals and a couple of sumptuous solos and by this point it’s clear that the band have dialed back slightly from their debut but less is more with “In the Mourning Light” being a testament to that. It manages to achieve the unthinkable by bringing together the intensity of Death Metal, the brooding atmosphere of Doom and the savage cutting edge of Black Metal into a single deranged opus.

Mid album, the funeral pyre is lit with “Prince Among Shadows“, a slow onward march to the hell below with epic grandiose leads that also includes a couple of injections of morose Death Metal as well as a beautiful acoustic melodic moment. The extremes push out and the rise and fall between those moments is sublime. The creepy, climbing and almost ethereal “The Archer & The Noose” is a gentle sway of a marionette as the World Burns around it before “To Suffer (The Way You Do)” rises from the ashes like a tidal wave of plague Locust. Jay Fernandez guest guitar solo and Andrew Gerrity’s backing vocals add extra weight to an already powerful performance of dark atmospheres before the brutal headbangable riffs of “Locust Humanity” raise the dead from their graves. There is a fine balance to the tempo within the album as a whole, it never reaches the breakneck paced Juggernauts of some of its peers but is certainly doesn’t slouch or fall into Funeral Doom territory, striving to keep an energy withing the songs without being pulverising with the percussive display. The title track is a curious one to keep for last, it’s dance macabre somber moments a fitting finale to a dark and twisted tale [8.5/10]

Track listing

  1. The Serpents Choir
  2. Fires of Coil
  3. Knife of the Will
  4. In the Mourning Light
  5. Prince Among Shadows
  6. The Archer & The Noose
  7. To Suffer (The Way You Do)
  8. Locust Humanity
  9. Ex Rosa Ceremonia

Ex Rosa Ceremonia” by Pulchra Morte is out 6th November via Transcending Records and is available for pre-order over at bandcamp

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