Some albums feel timely while there are albums that feel eternal. Ascension, the second full-length release by Ceremony Shadows, belongs in the latter camp. It is dark, elegant, and utterly absorbing. The Portland-based trio doesn’t just follow in the lineage of darkwave and post-punk, they push their sound forward by breaking all the rules and shapeshifting the boundaries of darkwave could and should be. Following their acclaimed 2022 debut Inception, Bloom, and Decay, Ceremony Shadows return with a record that feels more assured, more expansive, and even more haunting. They have sharpened their craft. Every note feels spontaneous yet intentional. Every piece of a soundscape is chosen with great care. This is a band that knows exactly who they are and what they want you to feel. Ascension relies upon its dark atmosphere but it is not entirely vague. It is structured, clear, and commanding. The album lives in a world of shadows, but it builds its architecture with precision. There is beauty and longing enclosed within every segment and instrumentation, as this record sounds like a cathedral made of smoke and neon.
The dual vocal approach is a hot steaming engine that guides you on this epic sonic journey. These vocal dualities alternate, intertwine, and elevate each other. The effect is more than hypnotic. One voice pulls you under while the other lifts you to the surface. Together, they create an emotional spectrum that stretches from whispered doubt to gliding conviction. The production is lush and rich. Synths are the soul, as they shimmer, pulse, and breathe throughout the entire record. Ceremony Shadows have a knack for crafting melodies that feel inevitable, and themes that enter your listening apparatus and stay in your head long after the last notes and beats end. These synth leads are emotionally precise fully capable of seducing, threatening, and lingering. But melody is only one layer. Underneath, the synth bass does much of the heavy lifting. These low-ends are warm, round, and resonant. They anchor this material with deepness, heaviness, and gravity, as they throb, growl, and rumble. Yet they never overpower the structure. You’ll notice how they connect, empower, and bind everything together.
The percussion is kinetic and sharp. The beats are danceable, energetic, and expertly arranged. They shape the rhythm of the album in subtle and surprising ways. Ceremony Shadows know how to keep you moving without ever sacrificing the atmosphere. Their grooves are infectious but never obvious, as every snare hit and cymbal splash feels part of a larger spell. Also, the trio tastefully plays with many elements borrowed from several complementary music genres. Perhaps darkwave serves as the foundation, but elements of goth rock, post-punk, and coldwave weave in and out with such grace. There is confidence in this hybridity. The band understands their influences, but they never mimic the sound of their heroes. Quite the contrary, Ceremony Shadows take what is essential and contruct the ambiance that represents their signature sound. The sonic language is cohesive. The moods are intentional. This is an album that leads you somewhere. It begins with a sense of reaching and ends with something like transcendence. The journey is subtly abstract but never aimless because there is motion and transformation. Even the track titles, “Light Like Stars,” “Resistance,” “Impetus,” “Idolatry,” “Prey,” and “Ascension, ” suggest a narrative of struggle, desire, and elevation. These are just some of the standout tracks but you must know that there are no weak links. This is not an album built on singles. It is a continuous experience, as each track deepens the next.
There is also a visual sensibility embedded in the sound. Ceremony Shadows care about presentation. You can hear it. Their background in ambient and experimental work, including festival appearances and music contests, has honed their sensitivity to texture and space. The sound design here is cinematic. It invites you to imagine, see, and feel. The trio’s diverse geographic roots, spanning the United States, Germany, and Poland, perhaps contribute to the global resonance of their sound. There are hints of Berlin’s darkwave and coldwave clubs, echoes of Polish romanticism, and the echo of American gothic plains. Their music isn’t tied to one place. It more floats above them all. It is a deeply emotional record without becoming sentimental. It is sleek but not sterile. It is dark but never dead. The record blossoms on contrast, tension between motion and stillness, light and shadow, warmth and detachment. That contrast is what gives it more power and beauty. Ceremony Shadows have given us an album that feels essential in so many ways. Not just because it sounds good, but because it means something. It reaches toward transcendence. It explores human vulnerability through synthetic means. It dances at the edge of the abyss and refuses to fall in. There is sorrow packed within these songs but also the strength to overcome everything and endure.
It is a record made by people who live inside their art, treating sound as architecture and understanding that emotion can be constructed. Ceremony Shadows are not interested in being loud for its own sake. They are interested in building something that lasts. Ascension is a pulsating signal to the genre, resonating with a message about what happens when vision, discipline, and heart align. Ceremony Shadows have constructed a world worth entering and it is a world worth exploring over and over again. Head to their Bandcamp page for more information about ordering this darkwave gem on CD.
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