EPK – The Blood of Christ – CDN Records – Reissue – 2021 – “Frozen Dreams” and “The Lonely Flowers Of Autumn”
For fans of Dismember, Enslaved, Morbid Angel, My Dying Bride, Kataklysm
Album Title: Reissue – “Frozen Dreams” and “The Lonely Flowers Of Autumn”
Release Date: August 21, 2021
Label: CDN Records
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“Anthology IV shows that they deserve to be respected as one of Canada’s better death metal exports” – Exclaim!
“…Canadian brutal death metal legends Blood Of Christ are a band who helped to define the sound known as Northern Hyperblast…” – Metal Injection
“Able to bring about varied atmospheres and textures into an otherwise assaulting formula, Blood of Christ seem on top of their game…” – Dead Rhetoric
“…an album, incredibly heavy with some really delectable rhythm, Unrelenting Declivity of Anguish is 7 tracks of ferocious noise…” – Games, Brains and Headbanging Life
CDN Records is proud to announce that August 21st will be the release date for the reissue of Canadian death metallers The Blood of Christ’s early 1990’s demos “Frozen Dreams” (1994) and “The Lonely Flowers Of Autumn” (1995) on limited edition cassette and CD. Both are remixed along with remastering done by Dan Swano (Incantation, Jungle Rot, Asphyx). The CD version features bonus tracks from the 1996 Torture Records 7″ single and the 1994 demo “Frozen Dreams”.
The Blood of Christ brutalized their way onto the Canadian scene in the mid-1990s. Even with various line-up changes, mainly vocalists, the band has released a discography of multiple albums and splits along with being a tour de force, supporting bands such as Cryptopsy, Incantation, Morbid Angel, Kataklysm, Necronomicon, Killitorous and many more local and international acts.
The band comments on the reissues:
“This was the beginning of our natural journey that began rooted in straight-up death-grind metal around 1995 with added dark elements from black metal and doom. These songs became epic with varied time signatures and tempo changes, often shifting from chugging death metal riffs to droning black metal riffs in the blink of an eye – and incorporated more vocal styles than the average death metal band would. We have always called it Epic Dark Metal since our inception in 1995 with our “the Lonely Flowers of Autumn” demo… and that has stuck with us.”
In support of the reissues for “Frozen Dreams” and “The Lonely Flowers Of Autumn”, The Blood of Christ are also sharing their lyric video for the track “In The Distance”. It was a song written by the band while heavily influenced by the Kataklysm “Sorcery” album. It’s a lengthy, heavy and unique grinder that is dedicated to a story of a vampire who can not love a human woman due to his wretched existence and immortality. This song acts as a soundtrack to human suffering, told from both the band’s and the fictional vampire’s point of view.
Lyric Video – “In The Distance” – https://youtu.be/Pl7CnsSAyyQ
Cassette and CD pre-order will be available on CDN Records.
Album Title: Reissue – “Frozen Dreams” and “The Lonely Flowers Of Autumn”
Release Date: August 21 2021
Label: CDN Records
Cassette Track Listing – The Lonely Flowers Of Autumn (1995) – Reissue:
1. Autumns Twilight (7:45)
2. In the Distance (7:37)
3. Moonshroud (6:61)
4. As the Roses Wither (4:19)
Cassette Track Listing – Frozen Dreams (1994) – Reissue:
1. Frozen Dreams (1:24)
2. Divine Gift (3:32)
3. Christ Crucified (2:58)
4. Dawn (3:33)
5. Bleed For Me (1:41)
CD Track Listing:
1. Autumns Twilight (7:45)
2. In the Distance (7:37)
3. Moonshroud (6:61)
4. As the Roses Wither (4:19)
CD Bonus Tracks:
5. The Raven’s Song (4:51)
6. Winter Tree …a Forest of Tragedy (4:19)
7. Frozen Dreams (1:24)
8. Divine Gift (3:32)
9. Christ Crucified (2:58)
10. Dawn (3:33)
11. Bleed For Me (1:41)
The Blood of Christ reissue line up:
Jason Longo – Drums, Cymbals & Sawblade
Jason Deaville – Vocals
Marek Kopala – Bass, Keyboards & Classical Guitar
Jeff Longo – Electric & Classical Guitar
Album Reissue Recording Credits:
– All songs performed by: Blood of Christ (Jason Longo, Jason Deaville, Marek Kopala & Jeff Longo)
– All songs written by: Blood of Christ (Jason Longo, Jason Deaville, Marek Kopala & Jeff Longo)
– Produced by: Jeff Longo & Jason Longo
– Mixed by: Jeff Longo
– Mastered by: Dan Swanö
– Album Artwork by: Edin Ibric & Jeff Longo
– Member of SOCAN
– Canadian Content (MAPL)
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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. Jason Longo was only 15 (just shy of his 16th birthday) when we recorded our third demo “the Lonely Flowers of Autumn” and debuted the northern hyper blast on it. That demo took us around the world and to the skies.
2. An amazing experience on our 2002 Canadian tour with Kataklysm and Necronomicon. After our Vancouver show, the next morning all the bands were supposed to catch the morning ferry to the island for our gig the next night in Victoria. We were traveling in two vehicles. Kataklsym and Necronomicon were in one huge van with a trailer and all the gear. We were in a red Aztec with only our luggage and Jeff’s guitars. This Aztec was so uncomfortable, that it gave our then singer Conan Bulani (RIP) arthritis in his knees, or lead to it anyway.
We caught the ferry on time, but everyone else missed it. So when we landed in Victoria and went to the venue, the promoter met us there and told us that Stephane Mellul (tour manager) had let him know that they weren’t going to make it. So the show promoter rounded up a few local bands, took us to their rehearsal space and they loaned us their drums, amps and bass guitar. We performed the gig that night, alone, to a packed house! It was incredible. We had to tune a 4-string bass down to G# to match Jeff’s guitar. It was a small, warm pub and it was filled with eager metalheads from wall to wall. We were flattered that they stayed for our set even though Kataklysm couldn’t be there. We ended off the night with a cover of Slayer’s “Postmortem” (for the first time ever), and it went over very well.
Overall it was an amazing experience and the metalhead community and the promoter in Victoria were incredible. Unparalleled hospitality. A night we will never forget. After the gig, the promoter took us to his parents’ house and his mom fed us a huge buffet of food.
3. Rimouski 1997, the best gig we have ever played. Right before we went on stage, Rob from Neuraxis looked at me and said “I think they’re going to mosh for you guys”. I laughed. I don’t know how he knew that how he got that feeling, but; he was more than right. The fans raged as I have never seen before. There was a massive circle pit, kids in the front were smashing and swaying the barricades… dust flew up from the ground because of the pit. It was relentless and unreal. Our first tour in Quebec. Mind-blowing experience that we will never forget and are grateful for. Fun fact for the night: Kyle from Incantation (yes he had a moustache then) was too intoxicated to play his set, so he asked Jason to do it. Obviously, 15 minutes before a set there’s no way Jason could have learned it, so we had to walk Kyle up to stage holding him up and sat him at his drum kit. John M. was pretty irate and distressed about it, as you can imagine.
The best part of it is, is that Kyle pulled it off and played a phenomenal set. It was mind-blowing. After the gig, we drove straight home – a 13 hour drive through the night. We were on cloud 9.
Circa 1995 – The Blood of Christ – Lineup (L to R): Marek Kopala – Bass, Jason Deaville – Vocals, Jason Longo – Drums, Jeff Longo – Guitar
Photo Credit – Shawn Pritchard
Canadian Epic Dark Metal band The Blood of Christ (aka Blood of Christ) began their career in the early ’90s, making a blackened death metal hybrid that sounded similar to a mashup of Carcass and Enslaved. They kept this style throughout their first two albums, but started to tweak it on their third full-length album, 2003’s “Breeding Chaos”. The Blood of Christ’s brooding, unique and crushing sound has made fans out of underground metal lovers from many genres, creating an appeal that defies genre borders.
On their second release through CDN Records, the London trio has crafted their most focused and creative effort yet with 7 numbers of Epic Dark Metal dexterity and power. Fiends whom were raised on the sheer brutality and boundary-smashing efforts of Morbid Angel, or the pioneering and challenging progressive grind-core of Liverpudlian innovators Carcass, the epic and majestic sounds of Viking artisans Enslaved or even the groove-laden proto-death of Brazilian legends Sepultura will find something rousing and engulfing within The Blood of Christ. All of these influences and components meet head-on and shatter the boundaries of conventional arrangements and ultimately take the listener away to territory similarly explored by none before.
While their influences favored the shocking approach with lyrical themes that were rampant with Gore, Satanism and often-abhorrent imagery, The Blood of Christ chose to focus on more abstract and poetic subject matter. Their songs are often rife with human suffering, lust and longing, time travel, astrology, historic battles and the human struggle for personal freedom. A sincerely dark and often poetic way of not being afraid to expose the innards of human suffering, and relate to the misery from the destructive, self-promotion of humanity with unique vocals that sound as if purveyed by a raging beast – all of which is set to a brutal and epic soundtrack.
The Blood of Christ was formed in London, Ontario, in 1994, their lineup composed of avid metal scenesters: guitarist Jeff Longo, bassist Marek Kopala, drummer Jason Longo and vocalist Jason Deaville. Musically, at that time they were closest to Cannibal Corpse, although other metal bands like Morbid Angel, Samael, Kataklysm and Carcass played a role in their sound.
A 1995 demo (that saw a shift in style to what is now their own blend of death and black metal) helped the band secure a deal with Pulverizer Records, which released their debut album, “…a Dream to Remember” in 1997. A strong underground following began to build behind the group with albums like 1997’s “…a Dream to Remember” and 2002’s “As the Rain Gently falls”. Vocalist Conan Bulani, who joined the group in time to appear on the band’s debut album, sadly passed away in 2011. The Blood of Christ is now fronted by Ontario underground-metal veteran Hank Bielanski on bass & vocals.
The release of “Eastern Beast – Western Wolf”, a split CD & Cassette with Japanese hyper-groove masters Vomit Remnants on CDN Records in late 2020 will see the debut of Hank’s beastly craft with The Blood of Christ. The Blood of Christ is the embodiment of an Epic Dark Metal craft that in it of itself is limitless with possibility.
Discography:
1994 – Divine Requiem – Demonstration Cassette
1994 – Frozen Dreams – Demonstration Cassette
1995 – Chapter III the Lonely Flowers of Autumn – Demonstration Cassette
1996 – La cicatrice de sirène – 7” Vinyl EP (Torture Records, Italy)
1997 – …a Dream to Remember – CD Album (Pulverizer Records, USA)
1997 – …a Dream to Remember – CD Album (Diehard Music, Denmark)
2002 – As The Rain Gently Falls – CD Album (Skyscraper Music/PHD, Canada)
2003 – Breeding Chaos – CD Album (Skyscraper Music/PHD, Canada)
2006 – …a Dream to Remember – CD reissue (CDN Records, Canada)
2018 – Unrelenting Declivity of Anguish – CD Album (CDN Records, Canada)
2019 – Bilateral Carnage – Split 7” vinyl with Deformatory (CDN Records, Canada)
2020 – Eastern Beast/Western Wolf – Split album with Vomit Remnants (CDN Records, Canada)
Shared Stage with:
Flesh Feast, Cryptopsy, Kataklysm, Necronomicon, Neuraxis, Incantation, Killitorous, Hemdale, Enemy Soil, Brutal Truth, Obliveon, Fleshgrind, Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Cradle of Filth, Woods of Ypres, Opeth, Quo Vadis, Morbid Angel
Tours and Festivals:
1997 – Ontario and Quebec tour with Incantation
2002 – Canadian tour with Kataklysm and Necronomicon
2018 – Ontario and Quebec tour with Killitorous
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