| Ancient �Svartalvheim� Listenable , 1994 Lord Pale : Anyone familiar with Ancient�s �Det Glemte Riket� EP will know what to expect from the bands debut release �Svartalvheim�. Aphazel�s mid paced, catchy, fuzz soaked riffing contains a few intermittent acoustic passages and overlays which remind me fleetingly of the sound of Behemoth�s �Sventevith� LP but is a far different prospect as a whole. It is the soaring lead guitar solos ripping through the foggy haze that set Ancient apart from their peers, a sorely under utilized phenomenon in the blackmetal scene that works really well. Grimm�s percussion work varies in speed and style to fit the slower and faster passages of each song and is an important factor in keeping the longer songs interesting where most other bands would just blast. Grimm has a flemmy yet appealing blackmetal rasp akin to Abbath from Immortal at times, which snarls out the vocals in both English and their native Norwegian mother tongue. Although Svartalvheim is predominantly a guitar driven album, a few light synth passages rear their head sparingly across the albums adding to the deep and necro atmosphere. In my opinion Svartalvheim is a highly underrated piece of early blackmetal, which sadly, the band has so far failed to emulate, unable to catch it�s fleeting an essential presence. Overall Svartalvheim remains a highlight in an otherwise sordid discography. Favourite Tracks � Det Glemte Riket , Nvldradans , Paa Evig Vandring Mark � 8/10 Ancient 'The Halls Of Eternity' Metal Blade , 1999 Lord Pale : Ancient play guitar driven symphonic blackmetal with occasional female vocals . Musically Ancient plod along in the mid tempo range with a prominent bass that sits in with the rhythm nicely . Aphazel ( founding member and Ancient main man ) plays some admirable melodic leads through 'The Halls To Eternity' which complements the slower acoustic guitar and synth passages . Aphazel's voice is a fairly bland generic blackened rasp which rarely varies . The female vocalist 'Deadly Kristin' ( oh dear ... ) is easily expendable , as she rarely sings ( and poorly when she does ) , and mainly just adds spoken passages to the slower parts . The main problem however lies in the lack of energy in the performance , a lack of power in the production , and a frequently recurring 'empty' sound across the album . Most of the material is well written though , perhaps a little over structured for such simplistic riffing , but the atmosphere and artwork are very competent indeed . Overall a disappointing release that could have been much better � more effort required . Favourite Tracks - The Battle Of The Ancient Warriors , Spiritual Supremacy , A Woeful Summoning Mark - 5/10 Ancient 'Proxima Centuri' Metal Blade , 2001 Lord Pale : Now that Ancient have been rounded out with a full time bass player , and a new more energetic drummer , their new release 'Proxima Centuri' sounds more like an album and less like a studio patch together like their previous effort 'The Halls Of Eternity' did . The previous problem has been rectified now and the empty feeling has been fully eradicated from the new material perhaps because of the better production . Still in a similar vein to 'The Halls Of Eternity' with guitar driven mid paced blackmetal ( with more varied tempos this time ) , acoustic passages , synth , and the rather pathetic female vocals which are thankfully less prominent . Aphazel also attempts to vary his vocals more on 'Proxima Centuri' , not some much in style but in delivery with various melodies creeping into to his rasping . Praise must go to Aphazel for still believing that guitar solos have a place in blackmetal music ( carry the flame ! ) , but also criticism for his insistence on keeping Deadly Kristin in the band as her vocals are lame and only appear to be a token gesture to his style of music , if he must have them then surely he could hire someone that could sing !! Overall a decent enough release with nothing ground breaking , if they can capture the essence of the previous release and combine it with the sound of this album then they might be on their way to getting somewhere . Favourite Tracks - The Witch , In The Abyss Of Cursed Souls , Incarnating The Malignant Deity Mark - 6.5/10 |
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