Philadelphia doom quintet Crypt Sermon have unfurled another offering from the slab of doom that is their second album, The Ruins of Fading Light. Listen to "Christ Is Dead" below.

While Crypt Sermon have no reservations about expressing their love of classic doom cut with the arresting, mystic power summoned by Ronnie James Dio, they're simultaneously moving the genre forward. "Christ Is Dead," with its hypnotic, clean-toned passages, acoustic strums and vocal depth, reeks of early '90s Bathory, while the technical soloing gives nods to other areas of metal's extremity, freeing traditional doom from some of its usual constraints.

Between this and "Key of Solomon" we've got strong indicators that The Ruins of Fading Light may prove to be the best doom album of the last 25 years.

Regarding the song's lyrics, singer Brooks Wilson told NPR (who premiered the song), "One need not believe in supernatural claims to recognize the impact that the death of Jesus Christ has had on our history. Fact or fiction, the story of sacrifice has profoundly shaped the aesthetics and material conditions of the world in its wake. But we've grown bitter, callous to never know the world we were promised by that one sacrifice, and now we have seen countless more sacrificed in His name or in His wrath. Through the eyes of John of Patmos, 'Christ is Dead' both celebrates and laments the story of sacrifice, as we unchain ourselves from a history of suffering."

The Ruins of Fading Light comes out Sept. 13 through Dark Descent. Pre-order your copy here.