Anciients - Heart of Oak

Written by Sean Golyer.


From the shores of Vancouver emerge heavy metal newcomers Anciients and their debut full-length album Heart of Oak. Drawing from nearly all corners of the metal spectrum there’s a little bit of something for every metalhead out there. Thrashy chugs, progressive weedily-doos, blackened tremolos, sludgey chords, post-metal atmosphere, and guitar solos all thrive in Anciients’ world. Not to mention the varied vocal performances ranging from growls, screeches, and singing.

Technical talent fuses with an excellent sense of interesting songwriting and pacing that kept me engaged throughout. There are no gimmicks or fancy soundscape filler here (save for the acoustic interlude "One Foot in the Light"), just pure heavy metal. In that sense, some listeners may become a bit fatigued by the sound partway through. There aren’t any particularly surprising dynamic shifts or crazy experimentation going on here. The production and mix is superb, but one may get a hint of sameness throughout. Fortunately, what the band lacks in sonic innovation they more than make up for in the riff department. Every passage lasts just long enough for me to enjoy banging my head to before changing up the pace while the vocals swap between various styles at all the right moments.

Fans of progressive metal heavy-hitters like Opeth or Mastodon may not find a whole lot new here, but there’s certainly plenty to enjoy. Easily one of the most well-rounded and solid debut albums a newcomer could muster. Keep an eye on these guys and support them on Bandcamp and at their upcoming live performances.

Favorite Track: "Faith and Oath".

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Ihsahn - Eremita

Review by Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published here by Exclaim.

Designed by Ritxi Ostariz

Eremita is the fourth recording that Ihsahn has produced as a solo artist since his departure from Norwegian black metal lords Emperor. Emperor dissolved officially in 2001, though they reunited briefly in both 2006 and 2007 for festival date. Ihsahn's first solo record, The Adversary, was also released in 2006, and now this solo project is the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist's primary artistic focus. Ihsahn performs vocals, guitar, bass and keyboard on Eremita, while Jorgen Munkeby's saxophone adds a layer of jazzy complexity to the compositions and Tobias Andersen's drumming provides the engine and forward drive. The record also features an impressive list of guest performances, including the voice of Devin Townsend and the guitar of Jeff Loomis.

Eremita (which means "to live in the desert") is a dense, brooding album, as musically lush as it is atmospherically desolate. The rhythm of the drumming often takes on a dark, scuttling quality, while the guitars and vocals writhe together above, like creatures making their painful way across hot sand. This feeling is epitomized in "The Eagle and the Snake," which incorporates a merciless and explosive heat into the tone. Also like a desert, Eremita has a shadow side, a dark underbelly. Once the sun goes down, it gets startlingly cold and rather than being roasted alive by anger, all manner of creatures emerge to stalk and hunt you. It's easy to imagine the chords of "Catharsis" as ravenous beasts, the notes as dripping teeth. As compositionally complex as Eremita is, it's the hunger of the album ― the elemental and animal simplicity of the tone ― that gives it strength.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]