Mad, bad, very dangerous to know and even more dangerous to see live. When I caught these Bay Area nutters supporting Paint It Black last year I found myself subconsciously stepping backwards away from the mayhem that is the Ceremony live show. Somehow they've managed to capture a lot of their live vibe on this disc, having a fantastically chaotic raw edge to it. 

Whilst the album is unlikely to flail uncontrollably into you, like vocalist Ross Farrar might at a gig, it won't be so lenient on your ears. 'Moving Principle' could have been on an early Fucked Up 7", 'Sick' gnaws at your ankle like a rabid Jack Russell. 'The Doldrums' is slow-paced nihilism that has hints of Joy Division. 'Don't Touch Me' is old school Poison Idea giving DRI a kicking. 

Most of the tracks don't bother the two-minute mark, but much like a round with a heavyweight champion, two minutes is more than enough time to do damage. Ceremony give you the impression they do this for themselves and fuck you if you don't like it. It's just that you will like it, believe me. Fuck knows why but the manic intensity really gets under your skin just like those early Fucked Up and Poison Idea releases did.

You're on bit of a loser though if you want a great deal of info on the band as their Myspace was pretty sparse (and now I can't find it anymore) and there's not a huge amount on them elsewhere in cyberspace either.

http://www.bridge9.com/

http://www.ceremonyhc.com/