(written by Islander)
In our daily discharge of premieres we often find ourselves spreading the word about new music from bands who’ve already established some kind of track record through previous releases, or debuting a second or third single from a record after people already have an idea what’s in store for them. That makes today’s premiere something of a novelty, because it’s the first song publicly released by a brand new band.
The band is Celestial Death, a black metal quartet from Atlanta headed up by Jay Crash, who’s also the owner of Terminus Hate City Records. He’s joined by other experienced performers from the Atlanta scene — guitarist Ryan Buck (perhaps best known for his bass playing, as a member of Coletta, and having toured with Hail the Sun); drummer Matthew Carmichael (who has recently filled in on drums for Tómarúm, has toured with Cyborg Octopus and Archeologist, and is also a member of the Atlanta tech-death band, Nihilect); and bassist Hellstorm.
The song we’re premiering through a video, on the day of the song’s release across streaming platforms, functions as a mission statement, not only in the formulation of black metal that Celestial Death has concocted but also of their philosophy. Here’s their statement about “Anti-Preacher“:
“We are Celestial Death, from Atlanta. ‘Anti-Preacher‘ is not an attack on belief but a reckoning for those who weaponize it. We stand against the tyrants of the pulpit—preachers, Popes, pastors, rabbis, imams, and anyone claiming prophetic power to manipulate and divide for their own gain. We wage the revolution of the Anti-Preacher, exposing the blood-stained hands of those who use faith as a tool for oppression and violence.
“Fully embracing a modern DIY black metal ethos, our debut single was recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely by our drummer, Matthew Carmichael. The music video, filmed by Jeri Mize, was a true collaboration, allowing us to visually represent the song’s unique message — not the typical ‘anti-Christian’ stance, but a call for meaningful change without reliance on imaginary absolutes.”
And now let’s get to the music.
In “Anti-Preacher” Celestial Death whip up a careening cavalcade of riffs, rhythms, and moods, but manage to do that without causing the song to spin off the road and crash into a mangled heap, which is to say it all holds together, and turns out to be a damned hooky, as well as hell-for-leather, experience.
Perhaps needless to say at this point (but saying it anyway), Jay Crash blasts the lyrics in a red-hot fury, raging with napalm-strength howls and screams. Around one hairpin turn after another, the riffing blares, boils, and jolts. It churns like an acid cauldron and inflicts organ-rupturing slugs, but it also swirls in frenzies of despair, wails in grieving pain, coldly clangs, and dismally slithers.
And so the moods change, shifting between berserk fury, distraught confusion, beleaguered hopelessness, and brazen defiance (or that’s how I hear it). Those shifts are backed by equally variable drumming and prominent bass lines that provide nuance as well as hard punches — all of which you can pick up because of the even-ness of the mix and a good balance in the sound between clarity and grit.
The video gives us good views of the band’s hard-charging performance, and other imagery that connects to the song’s message:
As noted above, “Anti-Preacher” is out today on all platforms via Terminus Hate City. We’re also very happy to report that Celestial Death will be following it up with more music in the New Year:
“Self-releasing this single was essential to our DIY roots. While Terminus Hate City is the label putting this out, half the band runs the label, and the other half works directly with it. ‘Anti-Preacher‘ is just the beginning—we are here to challenge, to provoke, and to inspire revolution.”
To keep abreast of developments in the Celestial Death camp, follow them via the links below.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celestialdeathatl/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celestialdeathatl/