CELESTIAL SEASON
Mysterium I
BURNING WORLD Well-travelled Dutchmen return to their gloriously gloomy roots
On paper it doesn’t make sense. Celestial Season authored 1993’s underrated masterpiece of gloom, Forever Scarlet Passion, then drifted unexpectedly towards stoner rock before disbanding, only for their frontman to become a wellknown breakcore DJ. And yet, with 2020’s The Secret Teachings, they’ve managed to return to their roots. The first record in a projected series of three, Mysterium I repeats its predecessor’s feat by knowing when to restrain itself while forging a path between doom/death recalling Gothic-era Paradise Lost and classic rock arrangements, enhanced by a discreet yet harrowing string quartet. A classy return.