No we're not talking about the shitty hardcore band--we're talking about the shoegaze group formed from Skywave minus Oliver Ackermann. I have no qualms saying that both A Place to Bury Strangers and Ceremony eclipse Skywave in both quality and innovation. Ceremony has managed to maintain an incredible level of creativity from their self titled album released on Safranin in 2005, to settling in with the Killer Pimp label (also home to A Place To Bury Strangers) and the release of Rocket Fire in 2010. Shoegaze is an interesting genre, as it has allowed for a wide number of great bands and musicians, but can also be extremely narrow in the range of emotion and sound that gets represented.
Ceremony, unlike A Place to Bury Strangers, toned down the fuzz-factor and amped up the synthesizers--to achieve a sound reminiscent of 1980's new wave, a la Depeche Mode and Television. Ceremony puts more influence on their lyrics than APTBS, perhaps because the lyrics are far more audible, not drowned a layer of overwhelming volume. Whereas the tracks on Rocket Fire blend together to create one conclusive, amorphous sound--Ceremony's 2007 album, Disappear, gives us 11 unique, solid pieces of music. From the sentimental, aptly titled "Cold Cold Night" to the vindictive, driving "Heard You Call My Name," Disappear is, in my opinion, Ceremony's strongest release to date.
I continue to compare Ceremony and A Place to Bury Strangers because I think that the similarities and differences between the two reveal the essential personalities of each group. My personal opinion is that APTBS is the more "masculine" of the groups--boasting a louder, more intense industrial sound. Ceremony, on the other hand seems to identify itself with more traditional shoegaze groups like Fleeting Joys and My Bloody Valentine. They occasionally feature female vocalists, and their lyrics are tender and sentimental despite the layers of distortion.
Actually, "Ego Death" is the one song by A Place to Bury Strangers that sounds like Ceremony could have written it (check out the synth action at 3:55, before it gets loud again.)
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