ANCIENT DEATH

ANCIENT DEATH     "Ego Dissolution"

By Dr. Abner Mality

I would describe this as a "comfortable" listen. Perhaps that sounds contradictory for a death metal band, which by its very nature is meant to be against the grain. And for somebody that listens to GHOST or KORN, this would probably be seen as more abrasive than sandpaper. But for those who regularly dwell in the realms of death, I can't think of a better term. This goes down pretty smooth, in nice digestible chunks.

ANCIENT DEATH are not into usual cliches like zombies, nuclear holocaust or serial killers, as you can probably tell by the album title.. Instead, their lyrics seem to focus on either cosmic mysticism or self improvement. Very reminiscent of YOB in that way. They feature guitarist Jerry Witunsky of ATHEIST and at many points here, they remind me of that ground-breaking Florida band with their technical guitar solos...mid-period DEATH is another touchstone. The vocalist is a female, Jasmine Alexander, although you'd be hard pressed to tell from her guttural roars. She's not quite as bestial as Bridget from STABBING, but then, who is? And once in a while, Jasmine also uses a clean tone that's as sweet as sugar, so she's got quite a range.

The songs here are short despite the "cosmic" angle, so don't look for any BLOOD INCANTATION space metal epics or the outre weirdness of BEDSORE or TOMB MOLD. The death metal aspect is never in doubt, but there's something about ANCIENT DEATH's delivery that makes their songs less brutal than the likes of , say, VASTUM or NECROT. There are occasional mellow, almost fusion-like workouts, but they are kept in check. Last track "Violet Light Decays" is rather ethereal and even as the longest song at 6:54, it's not too much to take.

So a pleasant death metal listen from ANCIENT DEATH...a record that's good, not great, and which could probably use a kick in the ass to reach a higher level.

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ANCIENT DEATH