IN THE STUDIO: Celestial Sanctuary
Five years ago, CELESTIAL SANCTUARY broke through the UK underground scene with their seismic debut Soul Diminished. They have never looked back. They have rolled on relentlessly; consistent touring has seen them hone an edge to their live performance and earn themselves a massive fanbase. Their subsequent releases, including follow-up album Insatiable Thirst for Torment and last year’s EP Visions of Stagnant Blood, has seen the band continuously move from strength to strength. They become adept at harnessing the visceral energy they bring to the stage and combine this with their razor-sharp songwriting. Make no mistake, CELESTIAL SANCTUARY a not just another every day death metal band riding on the coat tails of their influences.
They have got a fresh and exciting edge and are able to push this to the fore in everything they do. At the end of 2024 CELESTIAL SANCTUARY signed to Metal Blade Records, further raising their profile. Earlier this year, they released a teaser single They Worm Their Way In for an upcoming as yet untitled album (Cradle Of The Rotten, Shrine To Those Most Foul has now been revealed and will be released in January) for later release. The single features a colossal wall of sound, a drench of rhythm section, furious guitar work and some truly ferocious vocals. It comes across as everything the band have been tirelessly working towards. We couldn’t wait to catch up with them until the eventual release of this album, so we barged in on some studio time with frontman Thomas Cronin. We wanted to get a rundown on what it takes in the studio to create this level of heavyweight death metal.
When discussing how the sound has evolved, building on the already very impressive back catalogue. Tom is to the point. “As simple as it sounds, it all comes down to the songwriting. Writing killer riffs and weird, fucked up bits comes pretty easy to us at this point… but the focus, this time has shifted into how we weaponise and sequence those parts to make something that has more impact.” For those that have heard the Visions of stagnant Blood and the latest single can certainly attest to this new focus. Tom acknowledges that a key component of this is the consistent touring. He continues, “naturally, I think when you write and play as much as we do, you get better at your role in the band and bringing more into the fold with our sound.”
At a time where death metal bands are prevalent. One could throw a guitar pic in any given direction and it fall at the feet of half a dozen guttural riff slingers. There’s a lot to get through in order to stand out. Having an identity is crucial. It is in any given genre, but when it comes to extreme metal, distinguishing features can get lost in a wall of sound. CELESTIAL SANCTUARY is a band that have an identity, a clear presence to their sound. Tom is keen to highlight this, “I would say our sound and style has a lot of facets to it. Like every release has a variety of intentional moments like the faster songs, the more brutal songs, the mid-paced stompers and the atmosphere.”
When it comes to the new material and keeping the style fresh yet cohesive to what they’ve released previously, Tom acknowledges the obstacles. “The biggest challenge this time around is distilling what makes us… us. We’ve brought in a lot more sonic elements on this release too, and this record feels definitively ‘us’ and really is the start of a new phase of the band.” Part of what makes the band’s sound so appealing to the audiences is how crushingly unified they present themselves. So, it’s great to hear how in the studio this time they’ve been able to push that further. Tom reflects on how the rhythm section has been actively emphasised. “As well with the drums and bass, I don’t think James and Jay really got their moment in the sun on previous releases, but I feel like the rhythm section is really what people will feel the most with how dialled in, solid and groovin’ everything is.”
With the creation of the new songs, Tom highlights that while the overall songwriting process has not altered much, they are now starting face new challenges. “There’s an extra bit of internalised pressure this time around, the pressure you put on yourself is needed. Because it always has to be better than the last, it has to connect better live than the last.” This dedication is felt by many artists, but Tom is upfront with how it has taken on a demanding presence for them. “Admittedly it has been an unhealthy obsession writing and recording this, so I probably won’t switch off properly until the final masters and artwork are delivered to Metal Blade.” Yet he goes on to explain that there does have to be a balance, a time away from the studio. “We all have our own rituals… For me I tend to walk my dog while listening to the session bounces and then drink a load of throat coat…It’s essential to get some distance from it when you can. It’s such an intense, gruelling process.”
One of the shining revelations that is helping them collectively harness their power is Scott Atkins as producer. “Scott has been an absolute game changer for us; there’s no way around that. He’s helped us make the songs even better and gotten the most out of us as musicians and songwriters. Matt’s solos in particular. He won’t mind me saying this, but some of the stuff Scott was getting out of him. I don’t think he even knew how capable it was and witnessing moments like that have been incredible.” It’s not just who’s behind the desk that getting the best out of them either. While they work with much the same backline and equipment as they do live, Tom lets us in on a new addition. “Jackson sent me a Baritone guitar last year and we have these extra fat strings on it (I think the bottom string is 72 gauge or something like that). When I first heard it through the amp in the studio I literally laughed out loud how brutal it sounded. I probably just really gave away the secret sauce there didn’t I?”
CELESTIAL SANCTUARY is not a band content to rest on their laurels. They’re previously releases have earned deserved acclaim. Yet they don’t want to sit in the studio this time around and produce more of the same. “There have been absolutely gruelling days for us in the studio. All of us have definitely experienced an ego-death while recording this! But it’s a necessary step. All of our playing is the best it’s ever been. But it’s still retaining that organic sound… fuck being one of those soulless ‘overproduced’ tech bands, that’s not us and never will be us!” To elaborate Tom opines, “I would say we’re looking outside the walls of what’s normally considered death metal I think underground/extreme genres can stagnate so quickly because people are too scared to try things that are a bit left field of the obvious I hate to use the term ‘progressive’ because it just makes me think of pretentious melts, but I think that’s what this album is in terms of progressing what we do forward. I’d like people to pick up on the songwriting, but then again, really good songwriting should probably be unnoticeable and seamless.”
To summarise the bands time this time around in the studio and reflecting on a shared triumph. Tom puts it rather eloquently. “Working toward this common goal of making something truly fucked up, killer and special. To go from recording a demo on my own in my basement to recording an album for Metal Blade Records with one of the best metal producers in the world, how could you not enjoy every moment of that?”
Cradle Of The Rotten, Shrine To Those Most Foul is set for release on January 22nd, 2027 via Metal Blade Records. Pre-orders are available now and can be purchased here.
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