In late November of 2009, a small newsbit regarding the recording of a then untitled new Ceremony record had surfaced on the internet. Upon reading it, my thought was that a lot of people were going to be turned off by this album, and I hoped that I would not be one of those people. Having finally listened to this record some six months later, I can truly say that a lot of people are going to be turned off by this album, but I am not one of those people.
Simply put, Rohnert Park sounds nothing like any of Ceremony’s previous releases. It is the third release that Ceremony has put out under Bridge 9 Records, and their third full length. While their previous works were all in the vein of a kind of thrashy hardcore punk erring on the side of powerviolence, Rohnert Park showcases a much more stripped down, at times less intense, iteration of Ceremony that features a punk leaning that is far more pronounced than Violence, Violence and Still, Nothing Moves You. There are songs that are recognizably Ceremony, and then there are songs where you would never know it.
I will admit it; it took me quite a few listens through Rohnert Park to really gain an appreciation for it. It doesn’t contain the same in your face intensity that the band had become well known for on their previous releases. It really isn’t fair to compare this record to those releases, however, as Rohnert Park is so different from them. Yes, there are some songs that exhibit the fast-paced, pissed off intensity that one may be familiar with. That is, not to say that this record isn’t intense in its own right, just not in the way that people may be used to.
The album opens with “Into the Wayside Part I/Sick,” in a fashion similar to the way Still, Nothing Moves You opened with “Dead Moon California(Midnight in Solitude)/The Difference Between Looking and Seeing.” It starts out with a subdued, clean guitar, somewhat reminiscent of “Violence” from Violence, Violence. About forty seconds in, the drums start thumping and the bass kicks in before the guitar gets progressively more prominent. Frontman Ross Farrar declares all of the things he is sick of. This joint track serves as a great intro to the record.
Then, things start to change up a bit. The second track is “M.C.D.F.” which opens with a surprisingly upbeat, catchy, guitar riff that contains only the slightest bit of overdrive. While the song isn’t bad, it’s not exactly what I was expecting. The next track, “Moving Principle” is similar to its predecessor, in that it is not as gritty as “Sick.” The presence of slight overdrive shades the guitars once more, and the track remains somewhat upbeat musically, at least. The vocals are what you would expect on these tracks; pissed off and ranting. Lyrically, it is also what you would expect; well-written, and well executed.
The change becomes more drastic with “The Doldrums (Friendly City.)” This song is completely unlike any of Ceremony’s previous work. Once again, the slightly overdriven guitar is present, but the song itself is very reserved. It doesn’t pick up in pace, it just tends to drone for three minutes, and the vocals do the same. The vocals are essentially just spoken word. It’s very different for the band, but I’m not exactly crazy about this track, especially given the pace of the record, which this song takes away from.
“Open Head” is more of the same as the second and third tracks. It doesn’t stand out all that much, as it is rather similar to those two tracks. The second half of the album is where everything starts to pick up, and it starts with “Into the Wayside Part II.” It is similar to the first part, and while it is kind of a filler track, it sets a new tone for the record and the pace picks up from here on out. As the song begins to get darker, a solo is overlaid, and it is very welcome. It’s not just mindless shred, it really contributes to the vibe of the song.
“Terminal Addiction” is the next track, and while the pace of the song starts out somewhat slow, it picks up. It gets progressively more intense, and the fury of the vocals really starts to show up here. “Don’t Touch Me” picks up the pace, and features some great riffing. It features some similarities to their previous works, but once more the lack of truly distorted guitars takes away from how strong this song could be. Nevertheless, it is still a great track.
“Back in ‘84” continues with a nice fast pace, and it is decidedly more pissed off sounding than any of the previous tracks. It features some of the discordance that Ceremony is notorious for. The same can be said for “All The Time,” which is fairly catchy, at the same time as being fast and angry.
Then, we come to “The Pathos” which is classic Ceremony. Fast, angry, discordant and distorted. It’s very refreshing to hear them return to this style after all the experimentation from the first half of the record. “Night to Life” is a really great combination of both of the styles that are displayed on this record. It is very catchy, but very fast and most of all, pissed off.
Finally, we reach “Into the Wayside Part III.” It continues the theme of the previous two parts. It does not feel like filler in any way. It is once again fairly subdued, and contains a great deal of melody. The vocals are sung, and sound great. The guitars are punchy and clean, and the samples that are played throughout the song help to really accent the song. The track is nine and a half minutes long, but a majority of it is silence, so I can only guess that what comes after the long silence is meant to be a secret track. This secret track could have come right off of Still, Nothing Moves You. It is very fast, very noisy and very short.
I definitely need to point out the production on this record. While it definitely works with the record, I can’t help but feel like it also takes away from it at the same time. The album sounds very stripped down, but I’m guessing that is the sound they were going for. With different production I feel this album could have the same intensity as their previous efforts. That’s not to say they production is bad, by any means. Everything is crystal clear, and the presence of the bass is really well done.
Overall, this record is solid. It is going to catch a lot of people off guard, but I have to think that’s what Ceremony wanted to do. It’s not going to alienate their fanbase, but some listeners aren’t going to take to it the way that they took to their previous efforts. The band said that they wanted to paint Rohnert Park—the place they live by—as a desolate place, and they certainly accomplished that.
(7.0/10)
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