The L-Shaped Man

Those first few Ceremony records were some next level shit. They were so angry and abrasive, but you could see the band pushing boundaries and growing with each release. By the time the band dropped Zoo in 2012 I was losing interest and wished they would just stick more to the hardcore sounds that I liked. I didn't want more growth and trying different sounds... I just wanted the aggression. Zoo did grow on me, and I did end up really liking that record, but after that one, I was done. I did not care to see where the band went from there.

When The L-Shaped Man was released in 2015, it barely registered on my radar. I think that maybe my buddy, Doug, liked it, but it didn't seem like it was going to be for me. Nine years later, and a solid year after I started being turned on to different music in 2023, and this kind of music is very much going to fucking be for me.

I was hanging out and listening to Zoo earlier this year, and the time felt right to finally give Ceremony's next album a chance, and right out of the gates, I fucking loved it. I can certainly understand why I wouldn't have appreciated this back when it was released, but it fits into that different style of music that I've been craving lately. Sometimes you need to wait until the time is right.

When I was looking to buy a copy of the record, I found a tour pressing of the record available on Discogs for a decent price. The Discogs listing says that each one is "unique", with the singer hand drawing the shape on the front of each cover... but the shape is damn near identical to the original, so it isn't really as cool as it sounds.

The Ceremony Zoo

Each time Ceremony releases a new album, I always have the same reaction..."Yeah, it's okay, but not nearly as good as their last one". I'm always slow to warm up to their new stuff, but as the months progress, I enjoy them more and more until I'm claiming that the new record is my favorite Ceremony album.

Time will tell if that is the case with the newest Ceremony album, Zoo. Word on the street was that the band was moving away from their Hardcore roots completely, and going in a more early 80's punk direction. After hearing their 6 Cover Songs EP, I was really looking forward to what they would deliver with Zoo. After listening to Zoo for a few weeks, I find myself in the same place...thinking that the new album falls a little flat. Sure there are some really great songs on the new LP, but there are also a few that just drag the whole thing down. By the time the album has finished playing, I have no desire to immediately give it another spin.

I was originally under the impression that Matador Records had only pressed this on clear and black vinyl. Of course the clear vinyl sold out quickly, so I figured that I'd just pick up a copy locally...no surprise that I ended up with black vinyl. I've since learned that they also pressed Zoo on green as well as blue vinyl. Oh well, I don't feel the need to get multiple copies of this one, so black will have to do.

Now, I had never seen Ceremony live. Over the years, I've heard all kinds of hype around their live shows, so when I heard that Night Birds and Sweet Jesus were playing with Ceremony in Boston on 4/20, I figured that I'd check it out. Believe me when I say that Ceremony lived up to the hype. You know how some bands will play a song and kids will pile onto the stage and go nuts? Ceremony's set was like that from the opening of Hysteria, through the end of the show with Kersed. The singer stood directly in front of the drum kit, and he just got pummeled by kids all night. It was intense. I left that show with a deeper appreciation of the band, and I'm looking forward to giving Zoo another spin.

Six Songs Of Ceremony

I like Ceremony. I don't feel the need to collect every pressing of every one of their records, but I still really like this band. Collecting the new six song cover record seems to be be the exception to that rule. Sure, it wasn't too difficult, but my collection for this is now complete.

Red vinyl was the most limited pressing for this record. 500 were pressed, but Bridge Nine originally only made them available through some package deal. I wasn't interested in spending a few extra bucks on the package to get a giant poster of Ceremony's singer deep throating a microphone, so I passed and just went with the clear vinyl.

For Black Friday, Bridge Nine made a big deal about a sale they were going to have. Those interested were urged to get in early for the opportunity for some great stuff. With thoughts of limited vinyl dancing in our heads, a bunch of us were online at 6:00 in the morning expecting to find some awesome surprises. The whole thing was a pretty much a bust. No Warehouse Pressings, no long lost vinyl. The best thing that I walked away with was the red vinyl for the Ceremony 12 inch at the regular price. I got out of bed early for this?

Since my local record store had about three copies of the Ceremony on black vinyl. I figured that I'd grab one to complete the collection.

While the red and clear vinyl have a screened b-side, the black vinyl is etched. Limited to 1,000.

All three of these were really well done, and truly show Bridge Nine's creative side. Nicely done.

Ceremony Covers

I've got a strange relationship with cover songs. I love a good cover, but the thought of an entire record of them...I can think of much better things to spend my money on. To this day, I still haven't picked up the double 7 inch of Chain covers, or that Revelation covers album. Maybe I'll pick them up someday, when I've got some spare change in my pocket. Right now, I just can't justify it.

When I saw the announcement that Ceremony was releasing a covers record, I shifted in my chair, surprised myself with an unexpected fart, and then moved on. Yawn. And then Bridge Nine posted a picture of the vinyl. Goddamn, it looked so good, I knew that I needed a copy. I've always enjoyed Ceremony, so the creative packaging was the push I needed to buy this thing.

The album cover lists the names of a bunch of bands that influenced them. Really, where else will you find Led Zeppelin next to G.G. Allin?

The more limited pressing of this record was on red vinyl, but Bridge Nine packaged it with a giant poster. I wasn't willing to spend the extra cash for such a useless item, so I went with just the clear vinyl pressing.

To be honest, I'd never heard a single song on this record...not one original. Therefore, these weren't like covers at all, but more like 6 brand new Ceremony songs. With some bands, you hear a cover song, and you want to search out the original and discover a band you had never heard before. Not in this case. I don't ever need to hear Pixies, and I can be quite content only hearing Ceremony's brilliant cover of them.

1,500 pressed on clear vinyl, with a screened b-side.

Sick As A Dog

Bridge Nine did an outstanding job with the reissue of Underdog's 7 inch, and their release of the discography, Matchless, is just as amazing. Double LP...gatefold sleeve...plus a "visual outtakes" book that was only available for the pre-order press on red vinyl. The book is a pretty cool bonus, containing photos of the band and a few interviews from various zines over the years. I've got to say though, the interview that is included from Bullshit Monthly (1988) is really bad. A pointless interview that goes nowhere, and really, a fine example of why people would lose interest in reading zines. Still, the book is a cool addition, and I even made it into a couple of photos included from Underdog's set at Posi-Numbers in 2005.

As it seems to be my theme lately, I was pretty hard up for cash when Matchless went up for pre-order. Still I wasn't going to let it pass me by, so I only ordered one copy...for now.

While I was ordering the Underdog discography, I figured that I'd grab the new 7 inch single from Ceremony. At least Bridge Nine has started including an exclusive non-LP track on their singles now, so they don't seem to be a complete money grab. The two songs on this 7 inch are set to simply destroy. Brutal and vicious. 300 pressed on white vinyl.

I'm not sure what the intent is with the lyrics to Sick. Sick of Black Flag. Sick of Cro-Mags. Really? In any case, the song is a full blown anthem set to inspire complete chaos when the band performs the song live.

The Bridge Nine Let Down

A year ago I was all over anything that Bridge Nine Records released. Nowadays, not so much. I was keeping a list of all the different pressings that B9 had put out, and was on a mission to collect them all. In 2006 they put out amazing new records by Have Heart, Triple Threat, and Outbreak, they were the home of Champion, Mental, and the first Betrayed 7 inch...and then I just stopped caring. The messageboard turned into the biggest waste of internet space, full of retarded posts about "how often do you masturbate", and tough guy posing on anyone that dared step out of line...a place where the bigger dick you were to people, the cooler you were. The label released Palehorse and Death Before Dishonor, and pushed a tough-guy "hardcore" sound that I really wasn't that into. The honeymoon was over, and I no longer felt the need to buy every pressing of every release.

On a whim, I picked up the new Ruiner and Ceremony vinyl. I wasn't excited about it, but I guess a small part of me still felt like I needed to buy it because it was on Bridge Nine. Besides the fact that the Ruiner album has some of the sickest cover art I've seen in a long time, the music is actually pretty good as well. Very dark and angry, while still coming across as very real. The vocals are killer and every time I spin this album, I wonder why I don't listen to it more often. Even though I waited a while before placing my order, I still managed to get the red and orange split colored vinyl...limited to 300.

The Ceremony 7 inch is good too. It took me a while to get into this band. I had their first 7 inch for a while, but never really listened to it, and really caught on to them when I bought their album Violence Violence. The new record rips the same kind of fast and angry hardcore sound, maybe slowing things down a little on this release. They do a cover of Negative FX's Feel Like A Man which is very impressive...worth it for that song alone. The black vinyl was limited to 400 pressed.

So yeah, maybe Bridge Nine actually is releasing some good stuff these days. At some point I may even check out the new Crime in Stereo and Ambitions. Yeah, someday.