ANCIENT ENTITIES

I’ve always been intrigued by the ancient world. In fact, the further back you go in time, the more interested I become. The prehuman civilizations of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E Howard are particularly fascinating and always bring a chill, thinking of something so old and forgotten.

Many metal bands seem to share this fascination with the elder world, especially those of a more extreme nature. The genre seems to be musically and lyrically in tune with it, resulting in such acts as NILE and MORBID ANGEL. And now we can add an exciting new act from the burgeoning Wisconsin death metal scene to this list...ANCIENT ENTITIES!

I got introduced to these guys at the 2024 version of Milwaukee Metalfest, when I saw them blow apart the bar stage at the venue in front of a rabid crowd. After hearing their debut “Echoes of Annihilation”, I knew I had to hit them up for an interview.

So here’s my chat with grisly vocalist Brian Guilford, who reveals the secrets of ANCIENT ENTITIES…

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Greetings and hails to ANCIENT ENTITIES! You will be a new name to many readers, but I know this is not your first rodeo as far as extreme metal goes. Introduce yourselves and perhaps give some background in terms of prior bands and experience.

BRIAN GUILFORD: Hey, what's up! I'm Brian and I'm the vocalist for ANCIENT ENTITIES.. Before this, I played around in a rock band in Chicago, but the first real metal band I was in was DEADHAND SYSTEM alongside former members of VADER, MALEVOLENT CREATION, and GORGASM. 

WC:  What was the catalyst that brought you together for ANCIENT ENTITIES? Was it a well-conceived plan or just fate?

BG: I saw them play in the Chicagoland area a couple of times, one of those times being the previous/original vocalist's last show. I drunkenly asked to join, and now here we are! So in my case, I’d say it’s fate.

WC: The band’s “mission statement” says that your goal is to bring the listener back to “ancient times”. Is that in terms of old school metal of the early 90s or is it actually aeons past?

BG: Aeons past. Our lyrics are based on ancient culture, mainly historic battles, rituals, and mythology.

WC: The name of the band suggests an influence from H.P. Lovecraft and gods of the old world. Is this where you get your lyrical influences from or is there perhaps another layer of meaning to your tunes?

BG: For this first album, it's kinda all over the place. There are sacrificial ceremonies, and historic tragedies, but I'd love to do more mythological/horror-influenced lyrics for future songs. 

WC: As far as musical influences go, some are obvious, like NILE, MORBID ANGEL, and CANNIBAL CORPSE. But are there any less obvious ones that you draw from...maybe even nonmetallic ones?

BG: I know we have ABORTED and NECROPHAGIST on our album  sleeve, but IMMOLATION is a huge influence for me as well as INGESTED. I'm also a huge fan of 80s pop and new wave, so there might be that in the future, haha!

WC: You guys look to be major players in the Milwaukee/Wisconsin metal scene. I always thought Wisconsin was an unsung source of great extreme metal...how underrated is it and how has it shaped you?

BG:  I don't think it gets the recognition it deserves. There are a bunch of legendary bands like MORBID SAINT and JUNGLE ROT,but also new bands that are really blowing up such as CASKET ROBBERY. Wisconsin is a great melting pot of various genres and it's starting to get more recognition as time goes on. 

WC: I caught your set at Milwaukee Metalfest, which was a total rager! Do you consider that your “coming out party” to the larger metal landscape?

BG: Thanks for checking us out! Yeah, it definitely was. By far the biggest milestone in our career so far, as far as shows go. It was an absolute honor to play Milwaukee Metal Fest and we hope to play it again. 

WC: Would you say the MMF set was your best show so far or have you had others that surpassed it? If so, what show would that be?

BG:  Oh, it definitely was, and we've had some killer shows. A fest like that is life-changing .

WC:  Your first album “Echoes of Annihilation” has gone the self-released route. Was that your plan with this all along? Did you talk to any labels or have any interest from labels?

BG: We actually just got signed to Wormholedeath Records and the reception has been great. They're insanely welcoming, and we're super excited to be working with them! But yeah, originally, we planned on an independent release before we joined up with them. 

WC:  What would you say is your favorite track from the album, if you have one?

BG:  It'll sound cliche, but the single we released, "Pierced By Obsidian", is definitely my favorite. That song hits like a speeding train and really gets crowds moving. 

WC: I get a “Dune” vibe from “Creatures of the Sand”. Is that the lyrical inspiration for it?

BG: I've actually never seen any of the Dune movies, old or new, haha. I got the inspiration, actually, from watching a documentary on the Anunnaki.

WC:  Have you got any live plans outside of the Wisconsin area?

BG:  We definitely do! We've done a lot of out-of-state runs, and we currently have one slated in August with our brothers in VISCERA TRAIL, hitting the south. 

WC: Do you already have any ideas for your next album and how do you see the ANCIENT ENTITIES sound evolving in the future?

BG:  I do have lyrics written, actually. Personally, I'd think it'd be cool to toss some blackened sounds into it, but we have a solid sound now that we can keep working with. Nonetheless, it'll be crushing! 

WC: If you could have dinner with any 3 people from history, who would they be?

BG:  That's a tough one! I'm not sure how historical, but the first people that came to mind would be Layne Staley, Dimebag Darrell, and Peter Steele

WC: Have you guys ever had a Spinal Tap moment where things go haywire that you could share with us? It doesn’t necessarily have to be with ANCIENT ENTITIES.

BG:  Besides a bunch of technical difficulties, I can't really think of any 

WC: Any last words or messages?

BG:  Our album "Echoes of Annihilation" comes out on all streaming platforms now! Physical copies should be out by the time you read this! 

ANCIENT ENTITIES