Track “The Sacrament of Blood and Ash” feat. Mikko Kotamäki from SWALLOW THE SUN, in the form of lyric video, which has been created by renowned Romanian artist Costin Chioreanu (MAYHEM, VULTURE INDUSTRIES, and many more).
Frontman Lord S. comments on behalf of BAPTISM regarding
“The Sacrament Of Blood And Ash”: “Simply put, in order to rise above we must overcome our lesser and mundane self. If we succeed in this act, time and time again, the blood of this offering will water the roots of the tree which is known as our spiritual development. The lyrics for this song were written based on my ideas by Gorath Moonthorn. Three more long-time friends are featured on this album as well and we are joined for this first preview by our brother Mikko Kotamäki from SWALLOW THE SUN, whose voice fits the chorus perfectly.”
What you hear is what you get. BAPTISM deliver another album that is firmly rooted in Finnish black metal orthodoxy. Again their raw and unbound musical fierceness is counterbalanced by epic melodies buried underneath a shredding onslaught and majestic atmospheres. Yet despite staying true to course there is neither a feeling of stagnation nor of senseless nostalgia. BAPTISM excel in keeping true to their course, while appearing fresh and raising the stakes with their fifth full-length.
‘V: The Devil’s Fire’ is the result of a long evolution and the acquired craftsmanship of veterans in the field. Needless to mention that the visual trappings of their genre are not being neglected either as expressed by corpsepaint, hoods, and spikes. Nor has the Satanic mysticism on the lyrical side gone missing. It might be necessary to point out that what you do not see, you do not get. There is no political extremism expressed or even intended, which has been sometimes falsely attached to this band. In case of doubt, frontman Lord S. is more than willing to face any question in interviews in order to lay such rumours to rest once and for all. The development of BAPTISM can be best explained through different periods:
Era I: BAPTISM was formed by vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Lord S. and Demoniun on drums in the Finnish town of Ylöjärvi in 1998. As early as the summer of the same year, the first and now extremely rare demo ‘Satanic Rituals’ was released. A second demo entitled ‘Sons of Ruin & Terror’ followed in the year 2000.
The band was joined by Slaughterer on bass in 2001 and this line-up unleashed first full-length ‘The Beherial Midnight’ (2002), as well as sophomore album ‘Wisdom & Hate’ (2003). Afterwards, Lord S. relocated his centre of activity to Kuopio and his former allies left the band.
Era II: BAPTISM quickly reformed in Kuopio, when Lord S. met Spellgoth and SG.7 joined the band before taking on duties as live guitarist and singing clean vocals. The EP ‘Black Ceremony’ as well as a split 7″ with Uncreation’s Dawn followed in 2004.
Local musicians Kobalt on drums as well as SDS and Cinatas were added to the group, which performed their first live ritual in Kouvola, Finland. More live appearances materialised in their home country after the release of a third full-length entitled ‘Morbid Wings of Sathanas’ (2005). On the following EP ‘Evil Mysteries’ (2006), Lord. was responsible for playing all instruments.
Era III: BAPTISM experienced another change of line-up when their mastermind returned to western Finland by moving to Tampere. Cinatas handed his duties over to M, who became the band’s third bassist. The black metal outfit began to perform internationally in 2007. LRH became session drummer for the next album ‘Grim Arts Of Melancholy’ (2008), while TG took over as lead guitarist from SDS. The EP ‘Chalice of Death’ (2010) was recorded and released amidst rituals all over Europe and led to a mini tour in Russia. In the meantime Syphon became the fourth bass player for the Finns.
Era IV: BAPTISM unleashed their next full-length ‘As the Darkness Enters’ in 2012 for which the men from the north toured during the following year including a first ritual in the USA. A number of reissues of earlier material followed in 2014 as demand for these cult releases had reached new heights. This was emphasised by the rarities compilation album ‘Gloria Tibi Satana’, which was released early 2015.
Era V: BAPTISM sign a new record deal with Season of Mist. The new album ‘V: The Devil’s Fire’ is finished and ready to be released on the 22nd of July 2016.
The new era for BAPTISM is now beginning. Get ready for a black blizzard from the north to bring frost and darkness in the middle of this summer!
Track-list
1. Natus Ex Ignis
2. Satananda
3. The Sacrament Of Blood And Ash
4. Devil’s Fire
5. Abyss
6. Cold Eternity
7. Malignant Shadows
8. Buried With Him
Line-up
Lord S.: vocals, guitar, songwriting
SG.7: guitar
TG: lead guitar
Syphon: bass
LRH: drums
Guest appearances
Antti Boman from DEMILICH on “Buried With Him”
Mikko Kotamäki from SWALLOW THE SUN on “The Sacrament Of Blood And Ash”
Mynni Luukkainen from HORNA on “Satananda”
www.facebook.com/baptismofficial
www.facebook.com/seasonofmistofficial
http://smarturl.it/BaptismShop
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