Vehemency Baptism's third full-length, Grim Arts of Melancholy, was a mind-blowing record so my hopes were really high when this band unleashed a new release, a seven inch EP that goes by the name Chalice of Death. Musically, this EP goes in the vein of the previous full-length: well-executed, melancholic yet sinister occult black metal.

It is clear that although Chalice of Death sounds underground, it is professionally done. The compositions are thought well as it always should because there is no room for filler riffs on seven inch. Production-wise this is more filthy and raw than Grim Arts of Melancholy but all the riffs are audible nonetheless. The same applies to drums. One could nag about the dry snare drum sound but when the material is of high quality overall, I'll stay quiet.

Sarcofagian's vocal delivery is diverse on this EP. While the title track provides a verse sung in Finnish, "The Crown ov Darkness" includes even clean singing, something that I haven't heard in Baptism before I think. It is only carefully used so that it doesn't sound overused at all.

Although these two songs are great, I can't see it as good as the latest full-length - maybe my expectations were too high for the EP's good. Anyhow, it is a great release that should not be missed by those who are into the Finnish underground black metal scene, because Baptism is clearly one of the brightest stars in it.

Vehemency The whole idea of seven inch vinyls is great. It is not possible to make it too long, so it almost forces its listener to focus on the record. Less than ten minutes of music and then it’s time to be ready to change to B side. Hence it doesn’t have the side effect of CDs, where I often find myself focusing on everything else than the music, because it’s so easy to just press play and let a 70-minute album flow by.

If you know Baptism’s second full-length Morbid Wings of Sathanas, this is pretty much in the same vein. Melancholic black metal done in a trademark Finnish underground way, now provided by two songs. ”Black Ceremony of Hate” is a 8-minute track with foggy, mysterious yet melancholic atmosphere, culminating in clean vocals towards the end. ”Forgotten Temple of Death” has an almost doomish guitar riff near the beginning, later turning into furious blast beasts with even thrash elements and a solo. The sudden thrash sections are a common feature for Baptism, used also on Morbid Wings of Sathanas and the 2008 album Grim Arts of Melancholy.

Black Ceremony’s two tracks are of high quality, at least in those people’s opinion who generally enjoy the melancholic touch of Finnish black metal. And I absolutely belong to those. The EP doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but it doesn’t really matter as long as it’s done well. Production-wise, Black Ceremony is guitar-driven. Everything else is mixed a bit lower, but everything is still clear enough (still not to forget the dirtiness and lo-fi values the band certainly has), so it sounds good. Unfortunately this EP is sold-out, but it’s definitely worth picking up in case you see it anywhere.