Back in 2019, Slovak blackened death metal outfit Ceremony of Silence impressed me with their debut Outis. The sleek, mean album had fiercely tight riffage and a really threatening aura pervading it, and I’ve stuck by it ever since. However, it’s been a long five years, and I was starting to lose hope a follow-up would see the light of day. I’ve not been more glad to be wrong in a while, though, as Halios is finally upon us, and it’s the sequel I’ve been wanting. Opening with a swarm of discordant riffs on “Primaeval Sacrifice”, the listener must adapt to Halios‘ rapidly advancing tide or give in to the swallow of the maelstrom. Formerly a duo, Ceremony of Silence has now become a trio. And combined with a sleeker, fuller production, Halios sounds a lot more polished and a lot more mean than Outis ever could.
There’s no shortage of riffs on Halios. Every second of the trim 35 minute runtime is utilized with calculating efficiency, always delivering what it intends without any fluff. Lead sections appear sparingly, but when one snakes its way out of the murk it twists into your brain and sinks its hooks into you, such as on “Serpent Slayer” or the brief reprieve from the intensity on album highlight “Moon Vessel”, with the slowed down section at the end of the track that allows the guitar and bass to breathe. Halios also shows guitarist/bassist Viliam Pilarčík writing longer songs with seven and a half minute closer “King in the Mountain”, and he does it incredibly well.
I can’t find a lot to complain about Halios. “Eternal Return”, an interlude, throws off the dreaded “lazy interlude” trope by adding a monastic vibe to the album, and it works in connecting the brutal first half to the brutal second half. One issue I had with Outis was the production. It was a bit muddy, but thankfully that is completely absent here. The result is a full-sounding, brutal, mystical annihilation that will have you coming back for more. Halios is an incredibly fun record, and one that will stick with me throughout the coming months and years. I can only hope the next record won’t take as long to appear from the depths.
