Sumerian Ceremonials

A fresh idea coming out of the Sumerian Record corner has got me both intrigued and excited.  While I have not spent too much time diving into the works of Florence + The Machine, I am quite aware of the name and the buzz that surrounds Florence, Isabella, and the rest of the group.  Their sophomore album "Ceremonials" was a huge success across the board and was nominated for more awards than I can count on my fingers and toes (that's about as far as I got).  With it only being a 2011 release, I did not foresee someone such as Ash Avildsen wanting to take this to the next level and compose a tribute album.  The outcome was both intriguing and full of potential.  Check out the first track ("What The Water Gave Me") that came to my ears the other day performed by Sumerian Records' newest member Come The Dawn:





"To me, Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine is one of the most timeless records to come out in years. The distinctive vocals and melodies, the orchestration and instrumentation, the production, the mood and the lyrics have made me enamored with the album. It is also one of the heaviest records in years to me… not in the sense of metal and aggressive vocals/guitars/drums, but in how the songs make you feel. The emotional conviction that Florence Welch gives in her delivery combined with the brilliance of Isabella “Machine” Summers and the production of Paul Epworth has made for one of my favorite albums of all time.





I wanted to give Sumerian bands the platform to re-invent these songs and to hopefully bring great music to new ears all over the world who may have otherwise never experienced this album. We made an exception and included one older song from Florence’s previous record Lungs, which Stick To Your Guns did an incredible job with.. I hope you enjoy Sumerian Ceremonials and the original Ceremonials as much as I have. Thank you for taking the time to check it out." -Ash Avildsen (Sumerian Records Founder)





So I think the next question here would be "where do we go from here?"

While I think this is a great concept and getting a slew of great bands from Sumerian's roster to perform the tracks was a great idea, I see how this could be something even more than a one-off concept album.  To me "Ceremonials" should not just be about Florence + The Machine, even though the title is derived from their album.  I think Ash and Sumerian Records should continue to celebrate past influences.





As soon as I heard these tracks uploaded to the Sumerian YouTube page, I started talking about them with friends and family.  I talked about how cool the concept was and how Sumerian could capitalize on the hype that this album could bring.  So then I mentioned "what other artists could you see Sumerian Records follow up with?"




What came to mind was concept album(s) celebrating (a ceremonial if you will) of common influences and mentors over the years that band from the Sumerian roster could collaborate on.  Not like a Roadrunner United or anything like that (even though that might still work), but more along the lines of tribute.  Finding those common artists that have influence across the board could be tough, but not far fetched.

We see multiple genres for influence from artists such as After The Burial, Asking Alexandria, Periphery, Darkest Hour, Stick To Your Guns, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and more.  Anything from Blink 182 to Meshuggah; from Slipknot to Michael Buble.  Whatever the common ground is, I think that Sumerian would capitalize big time as Fearless Records has done with their "Punk Goes" series.  Let's just hope that someone down in Sumerian catches onto this and starts a trend of their own.





My cousin (and fellow music enthusiast) Mark prompted me with a question. "What would YOU choose as the next tribute album for Sumerian Records?"  After careful consideration from the vast amounts of influences ranging from soft rock to heavy metal, it came down to a few artists...

Dream Theater | Tool | Metallica | Slipknot

Now I might be playing it safe by using a few notable bands that EVERYONE seems to cover, but I don't think it's unrealistic.  Periphery alone have covered both Slipknot and Metallica in the past and (I feel) did a great job in the process!  Dream Theater and Tool seem like good choices as well considering their diversity and likability across the board for rock and metal fans.

"Sumerian Ceremonials: Florence + The Sphinx" will be released everywhere on May 13th, 2014.