CEREMONIAL OATH: 'The Book Of Truth' 20th-Anniversary Reissue Detailed

CEREMONIAL OATH, Sweden's pioneers of twisted melodic death metal, will release their legendary debut album, "The Book Of Truth", as a deluxe 20th-anniversary version on January 28 through Century Media Records.

"The Book Of Truth" does not really match the usual melodic approach many bands from Gothenburg scene established between the heydays of the scene from 1994 to 1999. Being neither pure Gothenburg-ish melodic death metal nor typical old-school Swedish death metal in the Stockholm vein, but more a fine mélange of both worlds spiced up with some technical finesse a la MORBID ANGEL and NOCTURNUS, "The Book Of Truth" has justly become a real classic of unique death metal throughout the years. Still, to this day, the sound of CEREMONIAL OATH has remained surprisingly fresh and unique.

Besides the album tracks, the release also includes all tracks of the super-rare demos "Wake The Dead" and "Black Sermon" (on which CEREMONIAL OATH are still performing under the band's previous moniker DESECRATOR) as well as the two tracks of the legendary "Lost Name Of God" seven-inch single (originally released on Corpse Grinder Records in 1992).

"The Book Of Truth" will be made available on CD and LP as well as digital download. The 2CD version comes with a 28-page booklet filled with rare photos, flyers, lyrics, fanzine scans, liner notes for the demo material and detailed comments on the music and the lyrical concept of the album by CEREMONIAL OATH's mastermind Oscar Dronjak. The deluxe 2LP version includes an LP-size booklet with the same content as the CD booklet as well as 180-gram vinyls, gatefold sleeve and black inner sleeves.

A super-rare colored vinyl version can be purchased at Century Media's mailorder at this location.

Niklas Sundin (DARK TRANQUILLITY),designer of the first "Lost Name Of God" seven-inch single states: "The very first DARK TRANQUILLITY show was played 22 years ago, together with CEREMONIAL OATH (who then went by the name DESECRATOR),and for a few years we would often share the stage in the then-miniscule Gothenburg metal scene. I always felt that the band never got the attention and credit they deserved for their raw and quirky death metal, so it's about time that these rare recordings finally get released on a bigger scale and made available to a new generation of fans as well as nostalgia freaks like myself. Storm the gates!”

Anders Björler (ex-THE HAUNTED, AT THE GATES): "Me and Jonas [Björler] did the logo and demo cover artwork back in 1990 for the band DESECRATOR. They were so disappointed and upset they had to form another band and start over. CEREMONIAL OATH was born."

Marko Palmén (EVOCATION): "I must say that the news about CEREMONIAL OATH awakening from their hiatus really made my day and it's great to see that the interest for death metal from Sweden is growing worldwide! I have some great memories from the early '90s when sharing the stage with CEREMONIAL OATH and perhaps the best one is from a show we did at the legendary underground club called Valvet in Gothenburg, 1992. And it's not the best memory because it was a great show or something like that... It's because I remember that our drummer managed to break the drumhead for the kick on the CEREMONIAL OATH backline which we were sharing. And as if that wasn't enough I also remember that we never paid the CEREMONIAL OATH guys for that broken drumhead and it still feels like a thorn in my and EVOCATION's side after all these years... I hope you guys can forgive us! ;-) Strange thing to happen during a show, I have never experienced something like that either before or after that show during my entire musical career. Now when you guys have reunited, I'm sure you will discover that playing death metal has never been as much fun as it is now. In a while I'm also sure that you guys will regret the same thing that we in EVOCATION regret; that we didn't start doing this earlier! Welcome back after all these years and hope we can raise some hell together once again!"

"The Book Of Truth" track listing:

CD1/LP1: The Album

01. Prologue: Sworn To Avenge
02. Chapter I: The Invocator
03. Chapter II: For I Have Sinned / The Praise
04. Chapter III: Enthroned
05. Chapter IV: Only Evil Prevails
06. Chapter V: Thunderworld (Welcome To Forever)
07. Chapter VI: Lords Of Twilight
08. Chapter VII: Ceremonial Oath
09. Chapter VIII: The Lost Name Of God
10. Chapter IX: The Book Of Truth
11. Chapter X: Hellbound (instrumental)

CD2/LP2: The Demos

01. Intro: The Hour Between Darkness And Dawn
02. Remains Of Death
03. Force Of Habit
04. A Nocturnal Predator
05. Into The Abyss Of Hell
06. The Invocator
07. Necrosis
08. The Lost Name Of God
09. For I Have Sinned / The Praise

Tracks 1-4 taken from the "Wake The Dead" demo (1990, performing as DESECRATOR)
Tracks 5-7 taken from the "Black Sermon" demo (1990, performing as DESECRATOR)
Tracks 8, 9 taken from the "Lost Name Of God" seven-inch single (1992)

All tracks on CD2/LP2 are released on the CD for the first time. "Wake The Dead" and "Black Sermon" are released on vinyl for the first time.

CEREMONIAL OATH played its first show in 20 years on January 4 at the inaugural edition of the Gothenburg Sound Festival at Trädgår'n in Gothenburg, Sweden. More appearances will be announced soon.

Photo credit: Daniel Falk of FramedNoise.com (courtesy of CEREMONIAL OATH's Facebook page)