Some of us like death metal, some like black metal right? What if a band beautifully blends them and does a damn good job making it sound flawless? ANCIENT ASCENDANT from the UK shows with Echos And Cinder exactly that and more. Introduced in North America with their debut 2011 full length The Grim Awakening (Siege of Amida), and 2012 EP produced by Dan Swano, Into The Dark, the group is looking to expand their fan base with their unique well-rounded sound. The group have shared the stage with an impressive list of amazing bands, including 1349, Sodom, Aborted, Enslaved, Hypocrisy, and label-mates Winterfylleth just to name a few.
Echos And Cinder is truly unique. The album can go from being a heavy death metal riff to a blast beat black metal part in a blink of an eye without sounding out of place. The vocals are strong and ride on the borderlines of strong black metal vocals with a death metal undertone and strong ranges. The guitar riffs are full of grooves, melodies and ferocity. The album is all around evil like in the track “Patterns of Bane.” Guitar melodies soar throughout the album keeping steady rhythms that will keep the listener headbanging the whole time.
Echos And Cinder is not your usual death/black metal release that you’d expect. For those of you who are familiar with bands like Akercocke, Behemoth and Belphegor who have pioneered the blackened death metal sound, Ancient Ascendant have pushed the boundaries further into a new direction and have now become the next generation of blackened death metal. Echos And Cinder is out now and available through Candlelight Records online.
MY VOTE:
5.0/5.0
Great review!