Cherry Red [Release date: 23.10.26]
Nearly men among nearly men, what now defunct Swedish thrash/ death metal band, Ceremonial Oath lost in fame and recognition they gained in other ways. Primarily as the proving ground for many talented musicians, providing for them a foothold on the slippery, rickety ladder of fame.
More on them in a moment.
Carpet is the most unusual of albums. In fact it’s not really an album. Instead it’s the coming together, either by accident or design, of ten tracks, some sourced from metal compilation releases, some pick and mix covers of the genre’s deities and others recorded back in the late eighties / early nineties.
It’s largely based on the band’s 7 track album release in 1995 on the Black Sun Records label.
Deeply rooted in death metal, the resulting collection is an advert for musical heaviosity, with your standard heavy metal and thrash stuff sometimes lost in the murk, but frequently fighting its way to the surface.
They blaze a blackened trail with a revised version of ‘The Shadowed End’ a song that opened the band’s original 7 track album, and the brutal ‘New Sun’, taken from the WAR (Wrong Again Records) 1993 compilation.
A bargain basement cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ precedes a pedal slammed to the metal version of Metallica’s ‘Disposable Heroes’. All to the good. This is how to sign off. No airs or graces, just raw, close to the bone heavy metal.
Only ten songs, but we seem to end a million miles from the caustic death metal growl of openers, ‘The Day I Buried’ and ‘Dreamsong’, both leavened by threads of twin guitar melody.
The talent within blossomed eventually. Core members Oscar Dromjak moved on to Hammerfall, Jesper Stromblad to In Flames, Anders Iwers to Tiamat, a lastly, Tomas Lindberg to At The Gates.
Learning how it all began is always a genuine pleasure. ***
Review by Brian McGowan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions,
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Josh now hosts “Taerk’s Tracks” as part of the Singer Songwriter Sunday sequence on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio.
This is the first show broadcast on 27 September. Josh presents some of his inspirational artists and tracks.
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast 27 September 2026.
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Power Plays w/c 12 October 2026
TAKIDA – Lion’s Den (Drongo Records)
SCARDUST – Symphony (Frontiers)
ANBERLIN – Gravity (Rude Records/Equal Vision Records)
MISSING TOYS – Lifeline (Pride & Joy Music)
SWEET GORILLA – It’s Your Life (5000 Records)
ROYAL BLOOD – Dead Company (Warner Records)
Featured Albums w/c 12 October 2026
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)
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