Certainly, more than two, but as these are currently the dominating bands in my basement, this is who you need to hear. The pair of bands known as Ghost (Sweden) and The Devil’s Blood (The Netherlands) evoke sounds of heavy, psychedelic, gloomy rock of earlier times zipped in a more straightforward package. The message is clear in both word and deed: they create and play to make known the left hand path. Whether you agree with it or not, that knowledge adds an element of foreboding intrigue. Both are resistant to interviews and remain secretive of their lives.
Ghost is male-fronted, The Devil’s Blood is in the feminine, but both pack powerful vocals. The Devil’s Blood full-length debut The Time Of No Time Evermore arrived in the fall of 2009, with Ghost's Opus Eponymous recently released in Europe, with a U.S. debut expected in January 2010. They are sure to be only the first of the more well-known Scandinavian* bands on a rising red tide. (If you don't expect their influence to grow, you’re not paying enough attention.) With their mystery, dark theatrics, and technical capability, they're sure to be copied. Hell, if I could afford it, I probably would.
The Devil's Blood, “Christ Or Cocaine” (Live at Metal Forces Festival 2009)
Ghost, “Ritual” (Live at Hammer of Doom IV 2010)
*Don't lose your shit, I know the Netherlands are not typically considered Scandinavian, but the title works better.
