Felix 1666, August 22nd, 2015
Written based on this version: 1994, CD, After Dark

The debut of Ancient Rites was released in 1994 and it is hardly comparable with the last efforts of the Belgians. To a large extent, the instrumentation was reduced to the essentials. Keyboards, flutes or further more or less unusual instruments were missing. The guys just played black metal with some thrash influences. The whipping drums set the pace in a furious manner. It seems as if drummer and co-composer Walter Van Cortenberg wanted to see some necks breaking. His performance profited from the powerful mix. Guitars and drums were on an equal footing while the bass guitar played a minor role. But from my point of view, this was no problem. Finally, the menacing vocal performance of Gunter Theys fulfilled its purpose in a convincing manner. All in all, the mix created a dark aura and reinforced the band´s musical way of proceeding. Better still, the debutants had already reached a more than solid level of musicianship.

The songs scored with fury and straightness. Of course, tempo changes were integrated, but they did not appear as an end in itself. The song patterns were easily comprehensible. As a consequence of this approach, "The Diabolic Serenades" enthused me right from the beginning. But this does not mean that the full-length became boring after a few runs. Strong riffs and the necessary amount of unholy melodies led to a long-lasting listening pleasure. Ancient Rites did not play the most radical form of black metal and they were clever enough to avoid icy guitars and restlessly battering drums. There was no need for the band members to disguise themselves as Norwegian clones. Instead, the chorals of the first section of "Longing for the Ancient Kingdom" reminded me slightly of the Italian Bulldozer. This was surprising enough.

Today the ambitious band is well-known for the usually successful integration of medieval elements. But on its debut, the Middle Ages were of minor importance. Leaving the antique sounds of the brief outro out of consideration, only the intro of "Morbid Glory (Gilles de Rais 1404-1440)" pointed in this direction. Nevertheless, the lyrics already dealt with historical topics and song titles like "Obscurity Reigns (Fields of Flanders)" were able to inspire my fantasy. The band indicated its intellectual potential without leaving the path of natural black metal.

The song material did not lack of rawness and directness. Its highlights were the straight "Death Messiah" and the more varied "Land of Frost & Despair". In view of their highly memorable riffs, both shine with a rarely heard kind of black catchiness. But each and every song added value to this captivating debut. I appreciate the open-minded later recordings of the band, but I also like their here presented more spontaneous approach. It offers that certain iota of intolerance and to quote their neighbours from the Netherlands, the very strong Infinity: black metal is intolerance. I agree. Thus, if you want to get familiar with the black roots of Ancient Rites, do not hesitate to buy this homogeneous album. Its amazingly mature mixture of grimness and melodies leaves almost nothing to be desired.

LeastWorstOption, December 4th, 2014
Written based on this version: 1994, CD, After Dark

As one of the earliest black metal bands in Belgium (forming in 1988) Ancient Rites is also the most interesting of the country. In constant evolution the band has shed members and sounds over the years to arrive a concoction of popular styles without abandoning artistic integrity or musical merit. “The Diabolic Serenades” is the first and most crude sounding of all Ancient Rites releases, yet already its keen sense of melody, epic solos and traditional metal foundation are accounted for. Of all releases this one has the most death -, and thrash metal influences. The only things working against it are the unflattering drum production and studio processed vocals of bassist Gunther Theys.

At this juncture the band was a power trio, consisting of vocalist, lyricist and bass guitarist Gunther Theys, lead guitarist Bart Vandereycken and drummer Walter van Cortenberg. The album bears a striking resemblance to the Mystifier album “Wicca” which was released two years before, in 1992. Both albums aim for a for the same writing style and atmosphere, although Ancient Rites is more death metal oriented in its writing, and far more percussive in terms of drumming. That both instruments feature as prominently as they do should come as no surprise, as all the music was composed by Bart Vandereycken and Walter van Cortenberg. The songwriting is sometimes hampered by the presence of only one guitar, but Vandereycken more often than not finds clever ways around these limitations. The bass guitar, in usage more than tone, isn’t as interesting as it could be, mostly due it merely doubling the guitar riffs. What the band lacks in subtlety and finesse it makes up in sheer variation and diversity in how it goes about accomplishing its songwriting objective. “The Diabolic Serenades” has a lineage in ancient thrash – and death metal rather than the formative black metal acts.

Although steeped in anti-religious and Satanic imagery, a great deal of the lyrics already deal with historical subject matter, including French nobleman Gilles de Rais (‘Morbid Glory (Gilles de Rais 1404-1440)’), the Roman Empire (‘Crucifiction Justified (Roman Supremacy)’, Assyria (‘Assyrian Empire’) and local Belgian folklore and history (‘Obscurity Reigns (Fields Of Flanders)’ and ‘Land of Frost & Despair’). The remainder of the songs deal with the archetypical Satanic philosophy, such as ‘Satanic Rejoice’, ‘Death Messiah’, ‘Longing For the Ancient Kingdom’, ‘Ritual Slayings (Goat Worship Pure)’ and ‘Evil Prevails’. Over the course of its next albums Ancient Rites would gradually tone down its Satanic rhetoric in favor of exploring European antiquity, history and folklore. For the most part “The Diabolic Serenades” is the culmination of the band’s demo stage, and one of two records in terms of its central songwriting axis. That Ancient Rites doesn’t conform to any philosophy, but its own is made abundantly clear by the fact that the band adamantly refuses to wear corpse paint in its promotional material, and to adopt unpronounceable stage names. Both these practices were standard for then-emergent black metal genre, and remain a staple of it to this day. The band’s integrity and honesty at the expense of artistic – and commercial success is its greatest strength.

One of the biggest strengths of “The Diabolic Serenades” is the contrast between its mechanical brutality and atmospheric interludes. ‘Infant Sacrifices to Baalberith’, ‘Longing For the Ancient Kingdom’ and ‘Last Rites/Echoes Of Melancholy’ stand in stark contrast to the batterings of ‘Crucifixion Justified (Roman Supremacy)’, ‘Land Of Frost & Despair’, ‘Ritual Slayings (Goat Worship Pure)’ and ‘Evil Prevails’. In fact ‘Longing For the Ancient Kingdom’, a re-recorded cut of the band’s 1992 “Evil Prevails” EP, is the earliest instance of the band exploring its atmospheric side within its rather crude death/black metal framework. This track forms the architectural basis for the band’s later atmospheric and epic metal template that would be cultivated in earnest from the second, and third album onward. Being the earliest Ancient Rites release it captures the band at its most primal and ferocious. Bart Vandereycken is a commendable guitarist, and while his angular riffs aren’t always the most imaginative the fiery leads/solos is what he excels at. The drumming by Walter van Cortenberg mostly seems to be built around thrash beats, and somewhat early American sounding fills. The demonic vocals by Gunther Theys, as goofy as they sound due to the studio processing, fit the album’s haunting atmosphere. A hissing vocal style, such as heard on the “Resurrection” EP (which was released the same year as this album) by American death metal combo Sadistic Intent would have fitted the album better in retrospect. The current vocals work for what they intend to convey, their sheer otherworldiness works in its favor.

The production is a both a blessing and a curse. Once again the band convened at Studio 20 in Tienen, Belgium with long-time producer/engineer Louis Jans behind the console. The guitar tone is crunchy and thick, while the bass rumbles healthily in the background. The drums sound digital, and kind of plastic. The whole kit oozes an electronic vibe that never really improves. While the snares and toms sound digital, the kickdrums sound truly massive giving the record, along with the prominent bass guitar, its thundering bass-heaviness and weight. It is unclear whether an electronic drum kit was used during these sessions, or that it was merely due to production choices on the band’s end. Similarly a studio filter, or processor, was used on the grunts and rasps of bass guitarist Gunther Theys, which push them squarely into death metal territory. Even though it adds to the overall macabre effect, it takes some time getting used to – especially in hindsight since Theys would opt for a more natural and emotive vocal style past this debut record. Many of the qualms would be rectified on the successor to this album, while the sterile, digital drum tones would prove a continuing ailment for this band that even a move towards a high-budget, professional studio environment couldn’t cure.

“The Diabolic Serenades” had the unfortunate distinction of being released through the doomed Afterdark Records, which declared bankruptcy shortly after the album’s release. This led to Ancient Rites embarking on a European tour in support of the album, without any product to push. The album is an ideal fusion of various streams of underground metal styles. The visuals might not be the most striking but they fit with the rather crude and primitive take on the genres the band mix on its debut. From this point onward the band would expand its musical, vocal and lyrical palette. “The Diabolic Serenades” is the culmination of Ancient Rites’ demo phase, and the only album of its kind in the band’s early canon. Much of what would make Ancient Rites the interesting musical outfit that they are is found here in its most embryonal form. This album lays down the groundwork for the much better material they would produce in the following years. In hindsight it looks corny compared and contrasted with the material the band would release in subsequent years, but the conviction and spirit present they weren’t able to capture or recreate on later, arguably better, albums.

Review originally written for Least Worst Option - www.leastworstoption.com

Byrgan, August 26th, 2010

Ancient Rites went through multiple different musical personalities through their span as a band. Even in the beginning, their demo in '90 surprisingly played a form of darker speed metal with a much different type of discernible half-singing voice. It's like they were attempting to breathe life back into an early to mid-'80s sound until other styles climbed over this and thrash with bigger boots in the '90s. Ancient Rites took the hint—probably from an omen in their blackened, syrup-gory morning Belgium waffles, or simply 3 of 4 members leaving or dying—as their sound shortly evolved on their EP in '92 and is closer to what's presented here with a form of black and death metal.

The production is on the side of digital and is more processed than other extreme metal projects of similar ilk. The guitars have a good amount of fitting effects, and the bass is right there with the same volume level to maximize its effort. But on the other hand, this sounds like it uses an electronic drum set; my suspicions came about since they have the same tone per drum and the cymbals only have a small amount of ringing after hits. The vocals have a processor on them—either with a healthy dose of pitch shift or run through a distortion pedal—making them an even lower toned growl and somewhat inhuman and demonic sounding as a result. With the shock and helplessness they give off, it's as if the Archfiend himself called your house while holding one of your family members eternally hostage. Pretty lucrative enterprise. Who's stopping him? You? Or You? Maybe even you, brave guy?

This is simultaneously catchy and mean sounding. The speed can adequately adjust to dreary slow, galloping mids and thrash-like fast sections. This isn't filled with blasterbation or a saturation of over-chugging. The guitars actually use a decent amount of strums, even at some points when going faster, or will pull out some tremolo type picking and other techniques to balance out palm mutes. Even though this has over-processed drums, it is definitely busy behind that artificial sounding throne by attaching plenty of fills and various hits to keep the listener's attention enraptured and engaged. Instead of continuous double bass, he'll use these at-a-trot type of kick drum hits; it works to the band's advantage especially when the guitarist has one of his hooking riffs going. The song writing can switch between atmospherics and aggression. "Longing for the Ancient Kingdom" is a good example of where the band mostly goes for a mood-centered track. It begins with a slow-to-mid-range beat, where the guitars play a particular set of notes with one sticking out that's higher toned of the bunch and with a keyboard choir effect following those same notes in succession. The first vocal passage, instead of beginning with his other grotesque vocals, give way to a clean and reverb-effected, almost wail-like voice. They also included some layered whispers and rasps, and then eventually break back into his regular growls to conclude this dark and emotively charged song.

"The Diabolic Serenades" is the band's most consistently sinister compared to later recordings. Although, I have to admit the production sounded funny to my ears when I first heard this with their precise drum sound and the digitalized recording quality for the type of extreme metal they were projecting. I can imagine it would have chimed a little better with an acoustic kit like they used on the demo and EP, and then, of course, helped out by the louder sound here. The band still makes up for it, as their subsequent material would record in an even more processed fashion but not hold up the musical end of the bargain for someone who got into them when they were stepping on more toes and sensibilities with their different take on extreme metal here. The band is cited as black metal, but this release actually combines attributes of black and death. They took a sidelined direction to sounding strictly like, say, American death metal a la Morbid Angel or Cannibal Corpse, or even the Norwegian route with Darkthrone or Burzum, as, of course, many would attempt to do so without the innovation aspect of things. Those of us who've had a run in with Ancient Rites might have different mind sets about them with the band shifting around their modes of playing on their varied albums, and I can imagine only a select few that are into the whole enchilada. Since we're on topic of food, I think of how they eventually over-heated the waffle iron with all of those keyboards, honored all of those Vikings with mead soaked waffle treats, and ended up being just another fancy breakfast platter on a list that had a shadowier past on their first but gradually lost what made them darkly delicious.

Felix 1666, July 3rd, 2015
Written based on this version: 1996, CD, Mascot Records

Not only because of the chronology, Ancient Rites sophomore album was located at the interface between their black metallic debut and the opulent "Fatherland". "Blasfemia Eternal" did not lack of diabolic guitar lines and hammering drums, but it also rarely revealed less harsh tones, for example during the powerful yet melancholic "(Het verdronken land von) Saeftinge". However, the band had not been interested in creating a metal operetta. The stormy sequences gained the upper hand and one cannot compare this album with their later outputs such as "Dim Carcosa" or "Rubicon". Ancient Rites had recorded matured compositions without neglecting the will to destroy. The title track was just an intro that could be understood as the calm before the storm. The first regular track, "Total Misanthropia", broke the silence in a matter of seconds. It brought new fodder for the black metal maniacs that appreciated the violent debut of the band, in particular songs like the straight "Death Messiah".

Already "Total Misanthropia" revealed that the sound of the full-length did not lack of currishness. In terms of the production, "Blasfemia Eternal" raged as furious as its predecessor. Its aura was definitely that of an underground production. This does not mean that the album was amateurishly produced, maybe with an overdose of roughness and a lack of momentum. But it was dominated by the guitars while almost any type of "unusual" instrumentation did not come into play. The Belgians did not focus on obscure song patterns, but the fairly huge amount of breaks led to a certain bulkiness. It followed that mainstream metal maniacs did not feel the urgent need to dive into the music. They missed - among other things - the voice of Gunter Theys. It fluctuated between hostility and nastiness. Unfortunately, Theys was not able to score with special features. Solid is probably the word that describes his vocal performance in an almost perfect manner.

Admittedly, the album did not distinguish itself by an above-average number of unforgettable tracks. It had other advantages. The three guys proved their youthful impetuosity while they offered simultaneously an unpretentious and logically configured full-length. Each and every song reached a good level. The tunes had an appropriate number of tempo changes, the solos combined structure and improvisation and the musicians did not need to fear technically demanding challenges. Inter alia because of the interesting lyrics, there was no doubt that the band had worked carefully while creating the songs. Ancient Rites were inspired by classical literature, historical topics and religious injustices. Due to the qualitative balance of the pieces, it is not easy to recommend a single track in order to check the album. But I guess that the fast-paced, diversified and grounded "Garden of Delights (EVA)", arranged with howling guitars and short blast beat eruptions, conveys a first impression of "Blasfemia Eternal".

Byrgan, August 28th, 2010

This is Ancient Rites evolving and experimenting again with their take on extreme metal. With "Blasfemia Eternal" they're still mixing techniques from black and death metal genres—at times they pound their instruments with weighted savageness, and at other moments this uses higher tones and a mood centered route.

The production got a little louder with certain instruments getting pushed more up front. This still has some effects, so not everything's breathing in your face. For instance, the vocals possess this kind of encompassing projection and essentially their sound seems to spread out so not every syllable is heard with direct clarity. Unfortunately, the drums have moments of actually sounding a little worse off than the last. Especially—of all areas, mind you—on the beginning of the opening song, it is so processed and mechanical that I'm sure it would have made one of those fancy Scandinavian studios, like Abyss, enamored with the amount of artificial quality coming from the triggers. That's good friend, you made it more like computer. Go Vikings! And it just gets worse later: On "Fatherland" when using those synthetic kick drums, I can mentally picture a metal band rehearsing without drummer right next to a line of impatient glue-on nail wearers. Clickety, click, click, clickety click...stop that damn noise.

The vocals changed up from demonic growls on the last to a raspy, croaky tone. They at least sound more in the way of characteristically human with underlying bouts of emotion, as the vocal processor used on the EP and debut is gone. At certain times they can be whispered or more in the way of discernible with the capability of understanding the lyrics without the actual lyric book. The bass lines specifically on the track "Epebos Aionia" make these sudden "burps" above the level of the guitar. It sounds like a neat little feature that has one particular note stick out even more so when joining in on the ending fill. The guitars play more characteristic black metal riffing than the last. Along the lines of what the Greek outfit Thou Art Lord used in their early days, with Ancient Rites themselves adding more higher placed tremolo oriented rhythms, though not in the way of sounding melodic, but at times can be extended or somewhat repetitious for generating a mood. Actually, the tongue-twister of a song "(Het Verdronken Land Van) Saeftinge" has some live flute sections during metal music playing that sound so mystical, epic in proportion and Greek inspired, that I'm sure Rotting Christ and crew made up a large stamp specifically for their approval. This also tosses in some bullying riffs that are thick and weighted, containing chugging and certain styles that point a gory finger to death metal. That part of their song writing keeps this recording in demand, and with the other side pulling you closer and closer to its looming shade.

"Blasfemia Eternal" does have its moments with each song. Though this is Ancient Rites experimenting and attempting to take up their own particular sound as a band and some things don't always line up or work entirely to their benefit. Specifically the drum sound is a shame here because it has moments that can set the music back from fuller potential, such as being more in the way of captivating those dark emotions in their song writing with a natural delivery and feeling. However, it can vary per song: at times it can sound like a standard and precise clicking noise to actually sounding mean, like a rapidly moving flat tire or even resembling machine gun shooting. They have a few forced pure chugging sections that might pop up in a few areas and are usually accompanied by some rapid double bass pounding. This is somewhat different than the last, where they were more suited to balancing out palm mutes and having more galloping kick drum patterns. On the other hand, they work up to a blast beat during a few areas and it can definitely catch your neck by surprise. Essentially by having them only an occasional commodity helps enforce their magnitude. When the keyboards are subtly played or worked up to, they can be an enhancing feature. Such as "Total Misanthropia" having a small break where a few choir effects are used, which gives the later portion of the song greater force when they're played more continuously. However, both of the tracks "Blood of Christ" and "Vae Victis" instantly start out with keyboards while the rest of the music plays along side. It feels sort of forced and almost there for the sake of it than an aiding addition. It's almost like reading an epic story, but opening up a page right smack in the middle of it.

This release combines attributes from different genres, which I found causes the whole recording to evolve much quicker than if this was completely centered on the characteristics they use from the black metal side and going for a strict atmosphere. So, by balancing out the heavier or more aggressive oriented structures is what really causes this to continually shift and expand on more ideas within a song. That much you can count on this release for—it gives you a number of characteristics and modes within a certain jam-packed time frame. Even the acoustic guitar intro is a quickie. This isn't a complete no non-sense recording, but instead the band capitalized on a strong point of their's with the capability of switching it up enough to not get stuck or stall, or at least for very long if they do. Like it could have been potentially worse if they went more with this area in a song, or even better if they extended that other part. Even though not everything comes off as executed in a thoroughly decisive manner, it is still recommendable, especially for this last feature.

BloodIronBeer, April 21st, 2007

Sometimes you don't listen to an album for a while, and something will draw you back to it. At which time, you might realize why you forgot about it, and normally it's as simple as this: it isn't worth remembering.

Ancient Rites can do better than this, as proven with other better albums, and I've certainly heard worse, but there is nothing special about this album. This album inspires the same emotions and energy as eating breakfast in the morning. Although considerably fast, with jack-hammer drumming at times, and by no means soothing, this album just doesn't do anything for me.

Median is the word to describe every aspect of this album. Not remarkably heavy or soft, fast or slow, black metal or death metal, melodic or grating. It's like a lukewarm cup of coffee. The vocals are pretty damn pathetic, and thin. The drummer is somewhat sloppy, and none of the riffs are memorable or powerful.

There is only tiny traces of Viking or folk metal on this album. Though it starts with a folksy, almost medieval sounding 30 second opener, the rest of the album carries very little of any of that.

I can't understand why I liked this, or if I ever really did. But upon serious consideration, it's pretty boring and not worthwhile.

Felix 1666, May 21st, 2015
Written based on this version: 1998, CD, Mascot Records

After the black debut and the more or less similar successor, "Fatherland" marked a quantum leap. Ancient Rites announced its return while presenting a cargo of highly variable tracks. The best part about that was that the Belgians were able to manage all different kinds of songs in an admirable manner. With regard to their first albums, they proved an unexpectedly high degree of maturity. But this did not mean that the single pieces lacked of fury or enthusiasm. Genuine black metal parts and more melodic sections roughly balanced each other out.

The highlights of the album reflected its variety impressively. The epic and fairly dramatic title track united pathos and patriotism, pride and homesickness. The mixture of these feelings was insolubly linked with noble melodies and straightforward riff sequences. Well integrated breaks ensured an appropriate number of tempo changes and the keyboards increased the atmosphere. Ancient Rites expressed its solidarity with the homeland without creating a kitschy mood. Another outstanding track was "13th of October 1307". The song dealt with the day on which Philip the Fair decided to arrest the Knights Templar. (In terms of the lyrics, the entire album appeared as a kind of history lesson. From my point of view, this concept ennobled the record.) Musically, the song lived on the contrast of powerful riffs and the tender melodies of a flute. But Ancient Rites also offered rapid speedsters. The brilliant and fulminating "Rise and Fall (Anno Satana)" was crunchy and edgy as well. Its sharp riffs and the demonic vocals created an atmosphere of insidious perfidity. The effervescent chorus crowned this punchy tune. However, let me shorten this part of the review. Each and every song sparkled with original features and the compositional patterns clearly distinguished themselves from the predictable verse-chorus-verse-scheme. All in all, Ancient Rites convinced with very carefully thought out song configurations, gripping melodies and the necessary amount of speed and heaviness.

It goes without saying that every kind of outstanding songwriting needs a suitable sound in order to reveal its full magnificence. Luckily, the production of "Fatherland" did not show any signs of weakness. Ancient Rites did not try to impress with a raw underground sound. Nevertheless, the mix offered the sufficient degree of aggressiveness. In addition, the full and warm sound was well balanced and left room for every participant to show his musicianship. It came as no surprise that the interplay of the musicians worked perfectly.

Unfortunately, exactly the first two songs after the intriguing intro were not able to withstand the overwhelming quality of the following tracks. They were solidly constructed, but they did not shower the listener with highly exciting melodies. (This minor deficiency prevents a higher rating.) But this factor should not be overestimated. Ancient Rites offered excellent entertainment for fans of melodic black metal with almost unique lyrics. If you would like to check its most imposing title, I recommend to listen to the multi-layered "Dying in a Moment of Splendour" which shines not only with its flickering keyboard lines.

Corimngul, March 30th, 2005

Fatherland is an absolutely stunning album. From the opening instrumental, an atmospheric intro that I feel I’ve heard before in classical music or a movie soundtrack somewhere, but can’t really remember, through the thrashier top songs Mother Europe, Aris & Fatherland, onto the more black-based songs, it’s an incredible experience.

Ancient Rites weave their progressive black / viking sound together using so many elements. The atmosphere, the nationalistic spirit is always present. They mix the harder stuff with symphonic parts nicely, no marked breakdowns in sight. They’ve given about every song three or four AMAZING, breathtaking state-of-the-art guitar solos. They aren’t downtuned. Instead of following the custom Ancient Rites put guitars with heavy metal tuning into their sound, lifting it a lot, both spiritually and musically.

The vocalist Günther does some amazing, snarling growls but the band should probably look elsewhere if they plan doing clean vocals again. He’s not exactly bad, though he sings with a lot of emotion he also sings with a lot of mediocrity. Better look at the music. That’ll cheer us up. There’s a lot of bass to the sound, and it’s in the foreground. Good thing. Still the innovative compositions are the best thing. If you can put darkness, melody, and atmosphere together and still make it progressive, creative and kick-ass, then you’re most probably a member of Ancient Rites already.

Toujoursfidele, March 7th, 2005

Having seen the praise of Ancient Rites' "Dim Carcosa", I was disappointed to see that "Fatherland" had received nothing, no feedback at all. I fell absolutely in love with the album's perfect mixture of viking and black metal, with progressive/heavy elements thrown in as well. There is no black and white scheme to Fatherland. Though the black metal side of the album is pominent, there are plenty of grey areas of blending.

The most obvious feature of Fatherland, which I think everyone can agree on, is the atmosphere and the nationalism of it. Though we have seen nationalism before on PLENTY of albums, namely Scandinavian pride, Fatherland is not limited to one region or one country. The track Mother Europe targets all of Europe while Fatherland is (as Günther describes in the booklet) an ode to all and what their Fatherland means to them. While the themes are excellent, the actual writing is just as amazing. There is no oddly worded English. There are no one word lines of "blasphemy" this or "Satan" that like that of (Although the ablum still rocks faces) The Diabolic Serenades. They are written intelligently without abusing the nearest Thesaurus.

While keeping their black metal layout with "necro" vocals and grinding riffs, their heavy metal influence is apparent in the opening of Mother Europe, almost the entire song of Fatherland, and the chorus of Aris. Just to name a few. Let's not forget to point out the, although far too short, ass ripping solo on Dying in a Moment of Splendour. Minus the solo, the entire song seems to drone and doom along reflecting a lot of the dark and melancholy feeling that Ancient Rites has became known for. The rest of the riffs tend to be more melodic "blackish", steering away from their earlier work of Blasfemia Eternal which seemed to be based on how aggressive the album could be.

Ancient Rites have also brought back Fallen Angel from their 1990 demo, changing it's name to The Seducer, and polishing it up a bit. It does feel a bit out of place on Fatherland with it's lack of European history theme that the rest of the album so obviously potrays. However the combination of heavy/progressive riffs with a blackened chorus (Via a cameo by Mikka), with a beyond evil atmosphere, makes it far too headbanging to ignorantly look over.

There's at least one sure instrumental on the album. The opener, Avondland. It does what an opening instrumental is suppose to do. It's short and it sets the atmosphere of nationalism. There is also the last track, Cain, which isn't really a song, but Günther narrating along with a piano. It's moody. The epitome of Ancient Rites' melancholy trademark. I definitely don't think it's for everyone, though. Luckily, as I said, it's the last track, so if it's not your "thing" then it's easy to skip or ignore.

The vocals. It's not too much of a surprise here. Günther sways from clean to blackened growls. Though his clean vocals are by no means Garm or some other praised vocalist, his vocals do the job. They're a bit droney/doomy. Similiar to Occulta Mors minus Occulta's all too obvious accent and a little less droney. I prefer his black vocals as they're a bit more complexed than the former. Having a bit more emotion and layers to them, plus his snarl that is all very common to hear.

So, yes, this is my personal favourite Ancient Rites album though they have yet to disappoint me with any of their releases. There's enough genre mixing here to attract all crowds or just those who can appreciate intelligent face rocking music.

Superb Tracks: "Mother Europe", "Dying In A Moment Of Splendour", and "The Seducer".

Felix 1666, September 1st, 2017
Written based on this version: 2001, CD, Hammerheart Records (Digipak, Limited edition)

Whenever it comes to Ancient Rites, we can enjoy a history lesson. The band has style and does not sing about crude bullshit. Nevertheless, the music itself is always the most important element and "Dim Carcosa" does not only consist of killer tracks. Kicked off by a pompous intro which picks up again the melody of "Fatherland", the album has its highs and lows. And the intro itself makes this clear, because its actually good atmosphere is negatively affected by a cheesy female choir. Thank God, it delivers only a few tones.

"Dim Carcosa" is filled to the brim with opulent, sometimes bombastic arrangements. Honestly spoken, I am unsure whether the album really benefits from this approach. Sometimes the keyboards gain the upper hand and dilute the metallic fundament. Similar to Pavlov's dog, I hear this instrument and become grumpy. But if the truth be told, the keyboards do not mark a bad thing per se. Among other things, they play a prominent role on "Götterdämmerung" and this piece marks the album's climax. An emotional intro leads to a currish, aggressive number that possesses fantastic melodies and high speed drumming as well. Excellent breaks shape an inspiring piece that cannot be blamed for showing any signs of laxness. The lyrics are great as well and their key message is "my only God is me". Dubious, but consistent with the song title. Too bad that the further tracks do not achieve the dizzying heights of this monument.

There are always some details that irritate the listener. An enumeration: clean or "heroic" background vocals deliver unsuitable pathos. An overdose of bombastic lines is not very helpful. The pieces need time to develop an own identity, because Gunther and his team use the same song formula again and again. The tracks are not predictable and do not follow simple, conventional patterns. But all of them mix pretty melodramatic sections with rather furious parts and it remains a mystery why the band did not write at least one or two merciless neckbreakers without soft interludes. (Exactly the opposite is happening: "Remembrance", a piano piece, stands out - due to its unique format, not in terms of quality.) Sometimes the output almost sounds like an opera, but I would have preferred that Ancient Rites would not have forgotten their roots regardless whether we are speaking of their debut, their second album or "Fatherland". Finally, a small number of songs has parts which are going nowhere ("North Sea"). All these details do not push the album into the abyss of meaninglessness, but they reduce the listening pleasure.

What remains is an album of a band that does not show its full potential. Weak choruses like that of "Lindisfarne (Anno 793)" reflect the sub-average performance. So now I get back to "Götterdämmerung" and listen to this great piece once again. Everything else fails to enthuse me and yes, I am slightly disappointed although the majority of the tunes is not really bad. Even the atmospheric title track at the end of the running order reaches a certain level of quality, yet it is a fact that there are countless albums that defeat "Dim Carcosa" in a matter of minutes.

RickySoWhat, October 2nd, 2013

Ancient Rites is one of those European black metal bands that has consistently put out good to great albums throughout their career. Sadly and quite understandably, they never managed to make it big like their Scandinavian counterparts such as for instance Emperor and Mayhem. They have remained somewhat of a hidden gem in the black metal scene, up to their semi-hiatus state of late.

With Dim Carcosa, Ancient Rites were two albums in their "international members" phase, with guitarists Erik Sprooten and Jan Yrlund respectively hailing from Holland and Finland joining them. Especially the multi-talented Jan Yrlund seems to be a very welcome creative addition to the band, being responsible for the melodic and harmonic additions to the sound of Ancient Rites.

The songwriting has improved even more since their previous album "Fatherland". Everything really fits and works, there are no loose ends to be found on this album. Even the intro and outro, which many bands often quickly steal from a budget recording of some long deceased classical composer, are carefully crafted pieces with a really unique atmosphere. The band successfully captures different moods throughout the album; from the blasting fury of "Exile (Les litanies de Satan)" through the majestic and dramatic heroism of "...and the Horns Called for War", the melancholy of "North Sea" and the nearly sadistic ode to the heathen viking avengers on "Lindisfarne (Anno 793)". Especially on the slower paced tracks, the keyboards really make the compositions shine, giving a particular identity to each song. The vocals greatly contribute to this sense of variation; the vocal delivery seamlessly goes from typical aggressive black metal screams to eerie whispering and clean vocals - including guest female vocals.

Special attention needs to be devoted to the amazing artwork done by guitarist and co-producer Jan Yrlund. The old manuscript style genuinely fits the lyrical narrative of bassist/vocalist Gunther Theys, effectively making this album a journey to times and places long forgotten.

After all this praise, there unfortunately are some negative remarks as well. What really puts me off, is the downright terrible production of this album. It seems that the band put so much time and effort in the actual songs that they simply lacked the energy to devote any attention whatsoever to sonic qualities. The guitar sound on "Dim Carcosa" is a very sad affair indeed: thin and brittle, lifeless and very digital sounding, with heavily scooped mids and perhaps even high and low pass filters that are set too crudely. The biggest disaster, however, are the drums. From the first couple of seconds of "Exile (Les Litanies De Satan)", one can already tell that these are not real drums. Everything simply screams "drum computer". Each snare hit is virtually identical, but it is the digital cymbals, hi-hat and ride that really spoil the whole sound. There are no dynamics; when the drums go into blast mode the ride cymbal sounds like an alarm clock frantically bouncing around. I can't imagine why on earth they would choose to program the drums with such a competent drummer in their ranks; perhaps to save on studio time?

If you can listen beyond the flawed production, this probably is the best Ancient Rites album. There are no filler songs, every track stands on its own, each set of lyrics tells an own story properly fitting the atmosphere of the song. If you value a good production, skip this one and go for "Rubicon".

Einherjar86, May 16th, 2009

Ancient Rites' Dim Carcosa is a masterpiece of symphonic black/viking metal, with several folk elements infused into the music. Exhibiting a compromise that lies somewhere between the barbarity of their early work and the epic progressions and symphonic elements of the genre, Dim Carcosa offers a monolithic collection of tracks. There are a range of sounds, from the more abrasive elements of "Exile (Les Litantes de Satan)" to the majestic symphonics of "Victory Or Valhalla (Last Man Standing)."

Despite the sweeping orchestral arrangements (e.g. "Victory Or Valhalla" or "...And the Horns Called For War") and soft piano passages (e.g. "The Return"), the record maintains a primitive, tribal element. In the track "On Golden Fields (De Leeuwen Dansen)," vocalist Gunther Theys sings "We ask not the pleasure that riches supply/Our weapons shall regain what betrayers must buy/Throwing back the invaders who reign our land and waves/And finally teach these nobles what it means to be slaves."

The musicianship is superb as well; interesting guitar lines and choral arrangements decorate this often beautiful piece of epic metal, and the many sounds of Gunther's voice create an atmosphere of multiple personalities. There are warriors, barbarians, noble savages and kings on this record, and the music all but brings the characters to actual life before our eyes (or ears).

I would recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of symphonic, black, or viking/folk metal. It is energetic, interesting, epic, solid and consistent; at its best moments it can even be incredibly moving.

Messiah_X, August 12th, 2003

Ancient Rites is one of those bands that can't be described simply in terms of "black metal" or "viking metal." Although much of this album revolves around ancient European tribal civilizations (ie: Celtic, Vikings, Teutonic), it can't really be called viking metal. Instead, they have taken several styles, including folk, black metal, death metal, and even some power metal, and combined it into a powerful musical tribute to their ancient ancestors.

This album opens up with a great intro piece, combining melodies from later tracks on this album (...And the Horns Called for War, on Golden Fields), as well as a very recognizable piece from the title track of their previous album, Fatherland. After the nostalgiac intro (ironically called "The Return"), the band explodes into an aggressive assault of pure metal.

While not necessarily being a viking metal band, this album presents everything that a true fan of viking metal would enjoy. The highlights of this album include Victory or Valhalla, On Golden Fields, the epic North Sea, and (Ode to Ancient) Europa. Every track on this album is amazing, and successfully combines all elements of the band (Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals), into perfect unity.

The last track on the album is a section of the epic poem which this album's concept and story is based on. This brings the album to an end without leaving any feeling that there was anything missing on the album. In the end, Dim Carcosa is one of those rare, perfect metal albums

Spectrum, November 27th, 2004

I bought this album for only four euros at EMP.de, and let me be perfectly clear on this: And the Hordes Stood as One is FAR too good to go for 4 euros!

ATHSAO is a live album, and the only AR album I have so far. The style of Ancient Rites is sort of hard to describe. It's rooted in black metal, but very epic and melodic and featuring plenty of clean, melodic vocals. Lead singer Gunther Theys has a quite special vocal style, but he grew on me after a few listens.

So, what's best about the album? Well, pretty much everything. The songs are masterfully written. The vocals are great and singalongable. The unclean vocals and blastbeats provide some awesome brutal parts, while the melodic lead guitar and keyboards provide some excellent soft parts.

But overall, Ancient Rites' performance on the album is just superb. Possibly the most energetic, enthusiastic live album I have heard. The production is great. Very clean, with all instruments coming through very clearly and nothing being drowned out. (The guitar sound could be heavier, but this is not a significant problem.)

Which details are bad about the album? None. Of course, it would be great if it was a double CD instead of a single, but 78 minutes is not a length you can complain about.

The best song on ATHSAO IMO is probably Exile. Other highlights are Victory or Valhalla, Aris and Mother Europe. But every song is great.

Overall an awesome album. I'll rate it 100% and advise everyone to check it out. Whether you are a fan of melodic metal or extreme metal, And the Hordes Stood as One just has it all.

1. The Return (3:12) - 9/10
2. Exile (Les litanies de Satan) (3:49) - 10/10
3. Victory or Valhalla (Last man standing) (4:16) - 10/10
4. Total misanthropia (4:36) - 8/10
5. Aris (5:50) - 10/10
6. And the horns called for war (4:20) - 10/10
7. North Sea (6:28) - 9/10
8. Blood of Christ (Mohammed wept) (4:02) - 7/10
9. Longing for the ancient kingdom (3:40) - 8/10
10. Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) (4:07) - 9/10
11. Ode to ancient Europa (4:08) - 10/10
12. Het Verdronken Land van Saeftinge (4:55) - 9/10
13. On golden fields (De leeuwen dansen) (6:07) - 10/10
14. Mother Europe (5:25) - 10/10
15. Evil prevails (4:54) - 8/10
16. Fatherland (8:13) - 9/10

Total time: 78:02.

NightOfTheRealm, May 28th, 2004

If there was ever a perfect time for Ancient Rites to release to release a live album, then it would be now, following the release of DIM CARCOSA (second best album ever...see my review in the archives). For years, Ancient Rites have slugged it out through the underground and for the past few years have been utterly unstoppable. Without a doubt, Ancient Rites is the ultimate black metal band; melodic guitars with fast, tight riffs, and a pummelling battery of drums drives the music forward, while the keyboards round out the epic side of the 666% true metal sound. Mastermind Gunther Theys and co. exemplify everything that metal stands for.

What better place to record and Ancient Rites live show than in their home nation of Belgium? The participation of the crowd at the gig is absolutely electrifying, as is reflected in the bands performance, which is excellent, played with a geniune passion for metal. Recorded on June 14, 2002 at the Biebob club, AND THE HORNS STOOD AS ONE is a testament to Ancient Rites legacy. The sound quality is very good, still a professional soundboard job, but not as clearly produced as most live albums. This adds the slight edge that Ancient Rites’ sound requires, and highlights the truly live nature of this recording. The setlist does a fair job spanning the band’s career, centered most heavily on the band’s previous two albums, FATHERLAND, and DIM CARCOSA. 16 tracks presenting over 78 minutes of music is plenty of time for most live albums, but I’m a greedy Ancient Rites head and I wouldn’t mind a double CD release at all. Although the setlist contains just about every Ancient Rites song one could want, I’m slightly disappointed that “Dying in a Moment of Splendor,” from FATHERLAND wasn’t on there, nor were there enough old songs (“Satanic Rejoice,” anyone?). Obviously, the crowd was pleased nearly as much or more than I am judging by the crowd response and Gunther’s interaction.

In addition to a wonderful setlist, the packaging is absolutely beautifully done. The art, done by guitarist Jan Yrlund, perfectly fits the album, with the torches, pentagramed portculllis, and goat-headed figure fill out this very metal scene. In the booklet proper are some very nice photos of the band onstage, as well as multiple pages of background information and commentary on Gunther himself. Reading through the book, I am filled with respect for the scholarship and true metal nature of Gunther. Not only is he metal at heart, but he is quite intelligent and has a definite knack for European history and litterature. AND THE HORDES STOOD AS ONE is absolutely essential for every Ancient Rites fan, and those new to Ancient Rites might enjoy this one as well. All hail Gunther and Ancient Rites!

(originally written by me for www.metal-rules.com, March, 2003)

Felix 1666, January 5th, 2019
Written based on this version: 2006, CD, Season of Mist (Digipak)

It was the year 49 before Christ. Julius Caesar and his mercenaries transcended the Rubicon. While doing this, they crossed the point of no return and the Roman civil war began. Germany had not been invented yet. From this follows that it was not easy to say who was responsible for the outbreak of this belligerent conflict. However, the military operation must have been an overwhelming scenery, an archaic action like Hannibal's crossing of the Alps in 218 B. C.

The word "archaic" does not really fit the music on "Rubicon", because Ancient Rites perform pretty smooth songs which cannot be compared with their very early outbursts. Orchestral sequences are rather the norm than the exception. Yet it is also true that the album does not lack resilience and radiance. The guitars are not willing to give up the field to the keyboards and further "non-metallic" instruments. This leads to an inner strength of the material which prevents a bland or commercial appearance. The tracks boast with its maturity and sometimes nearly immaculate flow. Yet that's not all. Surely, one can lament that the material is too soft. But one can also recognise that the melodies on this album sound mostly great and never cheesy. Already the calm intro scores with an impressive melody line. Better still, its short tribute to the title track of "Fatherland", my favourite album of Ancient Rites, pleases me very much. "Templar", the first complete track, carries this melody forward, but now with metallic vehemence. Despite a (very good) short atmospheric, keyboard-dominated sequence, it is the most stormy song of the full-length and its pretty aggressive approach goes hand in hand with the lyrics which describe religiously motivated fights of the twelfth century.

By the way, the lyrical content is simply fantastic. Gunther Theys crosses nearly every European region and different periods of the last 2500 years. I like his descriptions which mostly avoid obvious statements. He is really an objective reporter, because he tells his stories with respect for its protagonists without losing the journalistic detachment. In alignment with his pan-European point of view, he uses different languages. The title track, for example, commences with a few German lines which are also prominently placed in the booklet and the proud closer "Brabantia" houses, of course, some Flemish or Dutch lines. Gunther does not do so for the first time, but it just fits his topics very well. "Ypres", whose lyrics deal naturally with the cruelty of the First World War, has a nearly philosophical touch. However, every text of the album makes clear that Gunther is fascinated by heroic deeds and tragic conflicts and I admit that I like his mindset.

Honestly speaking, the eight songs on the positions three to ten do not consistently keep the level of the very promising double strike ("Crusade" and "Templar") at the beginning. Every once in a while, the songs are nearly too opulent and the predictable integration of female vocals fails to add value to the material. Nonetheless, "Rubicon" marks an intelligently designed work which mirrors the ambitions of its spiritual fathers in a very suitable manner. Honestly speaking, I thought that seven musicians is too much of a good thing. But the Belgian horde shows that it has understood the meaning of teamwork and its tight interplay finds its equivalent in the warm and voluminous production. Maybe it is slightly too polished, but this remains an academic discussion in view of fantastic songs like the title track. This monument reveals many facets and its different sections mesh seamlessly with each other. Although the part with German lyrics and the remaining sequences seem to be taken from two different tunes, they form an homogeneous (and truly impressive) unit in the end. If I would have been the eighth musician of the band, I would also have opted for this song to give the album its name. (But I wasn't involved - for good reasons!)

Apart from my personal situation, I can recommend this history lesson to every metalhead that likes sophisticated art with dramatic, melancholic and powerful elements. It's no pristine black metal any more and sometimes I miss the "Death Messiah", but only jesters expected a return to "Diabolic Serenades". And with that said, enjoy this aromatic cocktail of power, traditional, marginally folkloric and symphonic black metal. Probably even Julius Caesar would have loved it.

darkmoonman, October 25th, 2007

In 2001 was released Dim Carcosa album, which took the musical process started on the previous Fatherland album even further. Further from the primitive past. If Dim Carcosa was too melodic and even soft for you, then Rubicon certainly is not your thing either. I liked Dim Carcosa very much, and the latest Ancient Rites album does not disappoint me.

During the years several line-up changes have emerged. After these changes, there are even three guitarists in the band. Luckily it does not mean constant solos but the riffs and melodies are well intertwined into the entirety. In fact, guitars could have been in a bigger role, because I was expecting clearer guitar parts now. Interesting detail is that front man Günther Theys is only singing nowadays, without the bass guitar, that is. Domingo Smets, who left the band after the Dim Carcosa album, is back and playing the bass.

As said before, melodies are all over the album. This is also a thing which may trouble some people. Keyboardist Davy Wouters is the essence of strong melodies. The melodies he creates do not dominate but are important part of the album all the way. A little detail must be told, however. The title song begins with a keyboard melody that brought smile to my face when I listened to the song first times. Keyboards have surprisingly big part in the album, and that may be quite hard to get used to for some fans. Due to strong melodies, the album sounds quite light. Darker tones are missing almost entirely. On the other hand, it is not a surprise after Dim Carcosa, so it does not actually matter. Production is excellent on Rvbicon. Especially the drum sound has been quite poor on the earlier Ancient Rites albums, even if some improvement was shown on Dim Carcosa. This time Walter van Cortenberg’s work with drums sounds exactly what is should have been since the first album.

Rvbicon does not reach the 90 point limit despite all the positive aspects. Or maybe because of that as the overall image is a little light. Some kind of deeper general tone is missing. Rvbicon is still an excellent album.

JonaarS, September 2nd, 2006

Rvbicon is the new album of Belgian Black Metal pioneers Ancient Rites, being their fifth full-length in total. What has changed in the five (!) years after the previous release? First of all, Ancient Rites has two new members, a keyboard-player and a man who handles the bass in stead of frontman Gunter Theys, who from now on does vocals exclusively. The band who started out with three members is now a seven-headed band! They’ve also found a new label: Seasons of mist. There are some more changes and progressions to be noticed.

First of all, the music. Where Dim carcosa was said to be quite melodic, Ancient Rites has chosen to be even more melodic. The music itself has some Power Metal influences, very melodic guitar riffs and strong drums. The keyboard supports the music and gives it a surplus value. Still, this remains Black Metal, in a melodic way of speaking. The fans of the early days may not like the new approach, but this album is a great representation of the bands capacities.

Then, Gunthers vocals have changed a bit too. Overall he demonstrates again that he’s a great singer, with a lower approach in comparison with Dim Carcosa. But of course he also does the clean vocals. Besides, the female vocals on some songs (Ypres and Thermopylae) are very impressive and suit great with the music!

Luckily, the themes and lyrics haven’t changed! They still deal about European history, heritage and religion, something Ancient Rites is known for. Templar is about religion wars, both sides wanting the same and thinking the same: ‘Allah akhbar! God wills it! Cross and half moon in total war’. The title song Rvbicon is about everyone who has to cross his Rubicon, which means to take an important decision, going to a point of no return. The phrase exists since Caesar crossed this river with his standing army, which was prohibited. Another famous phrase has been said then by Caesar: ‘Alea iacta est’ (‘the die is cast’). Ypres is a homage to the ones who have fallen in WW II. Every lyric is a small masterpiece, always introduced with notes, giving more information about the topics.

Comparing Rvbicon with previous albums, I have to say it’s a very strong album, on the same (high) level as Dim carcosa. This release was worth waiting five years! A very complete album that grows every time you listen to it. Ancient Rites have done it again, the grandmasters of Belgian metal!


This review is written for ODIUM: http://users.telenet.be/odium/

Sinmaker666, May 11th, 2006

Ancient Rites are finally back, 5 years after their previous album Dim Carcosa. I must say the wait was quite long, due to line-up changes. Jan Yrlund was kicked out of the band and replaced by former guitarist Bart Vandereycken. More changes followed: Gunther gave up playing bass and old keyboardist Domingo returned for 5-string. Third guitarist, also a former member, Raf Jansen was recruited. What is the result of this big shuffle? I tell you: madhouse. Ancient Rites are epical and multi-layered in their 5th full-length, RVBICON.

The album opens with traditional Rites-intro, that travels from oriental crusade soundtrack to Dim Carcosa´s "the return" intro-atmosphere and launches the album with oriental beat. Very curious. I couldn´t stop smiling as the old intro visited there for few notes. Then we go full blast, "Templar" is here. Oriental melodic riff seems to be the biggest individual new thing in AR, which is nice, since the song is all about crusades, saracens, Saladin and knights templar. Gunther´s vocals again vary from evil grunts to clean melancholic appearance. I also notice one great improvement for this band: DRUM SOUND. No offence to one of my favourite bands, but while Fatherland´s drums were fucking horrible, Dim Carcosa´s improvement still sounded like big pile of blur. On this album, drums sounds fierce and good. No mess, no fuss, plain blast. Good. Ancient Rites combines aggressiveness and melody very well here. Everything is more wider and complex, yet I feel the approach is more direct and straightforward than with Dim Carcosa. Old guys are at it - with power!

"Mithras" is another standout track. I began laughing and felt über-nostalgic after hearing that tremolo bar diving in the middle of the song - Bart´s trademark from the second album, Blasfemia Eternal (He used to play lots of such stuff in first EP and album as well). "Thermopylae" is meant to relax our minds at bit before moving into the most fierce piece of the album, title track "Rvbicon". Pure black metal riffs with one of the greatest lyrics ever, plus atmosphere of the ancient times. Need I say more...

The latter half of the album, despite of it´s greatness, I must say, disappoints compared to the opening half. "Invictvs", "Galilean" and "Brabantia" are fine tracks, but maybe bit too soft and missing some highlights. "Ypres" is a masterpiece with it´s female vocals, and "Chervscan" gives me that war feeling I loved in the opening track too. Still, I must say the tracks I end up listening constantly are on that opening half. Templar, Mithras, Rvbicon. This album makes me feel like first 20 minutes would be total war, with last half an hour just being the aftermath of the battle. Then again, atmosphere and dark beauty are also strengths of this band nowadays.

All in all, I love this album. Ancient Rites have once again evolved with betraying their style. Having three guitars and seven members in the band has helped them for sure. Band has gone forward in every area. And despite of the fact, that I generally loathe technical skills, I must say this band knows how to use them. They never masturbate with their instruments, they play them skillfully and also manage to deliver the atmosphere of the ancient times with their music and lyrics. And that´s what Gunther wants. I can only pray I´ll see them soon live playing these tracks. Rvbicon is a natural step forward in Rites´ career. It combines the greatness of all previous albums, offering new things at the same time. ALL HAIL GUNTHER AND ANCIENT RITES! I hope they have a long life still ahed of them. If Caesar crossed the Rubicon, so can we.

Felix 1666, April 15th, 2017
Written based on this version: 2015, CD, Massacre Records (Limited edition, Digipak)

Ancient Rites always belonged to the bands that I really appreciated. Both their stormy first albums and their mature later works had excellent moments and I was therefore not amused as the Belgians disappeared after their strong fifth full-length "Rubicon". But now they are back and "Laguz" is exactly the album that ignores the break of nine years. In other words, Ancient Rites deliver more of the same. Call it pompous, call it bombastic or opulent, all these attributes hit the nail on the head. But how much pomposity is healthy for a metal band?

I admit that I miss some pure metallic parts that spit on any form of melody. I regret the absence of some evil guitars and some hateful vocals. With this said, my highlight is "Apostata". This track offers a gloomy atmosphere and pretty flattening guitars which are successfully supported by dynamic double bass figures. Some speedy parts show up as well and increase the quality of the song which, by the way, has great lyrics. Gunther is still fascinated by the European history and there can be no doubt that this theme delivers tons of interesting stories which want to be told again. Better still, the band leader is a talented storyteller.

However, the album cannot compete with their masterpiece "Fatherland". The longplayer from the year 1998 combined relatively raw black metal and more symphonic sounds with the effect that both components developed their full glory. It seemed as if Ancient Rites had found their niche. Yet the following efforts, and this applies in particular to "Laguz", tend to overemphasise the orchestral element. This leads to the result that everything becomes blurred and the single songs have no chance to develop their individual character. One listens to a fairly furious metal musical with a clinically clean, more or less perfect production, but outstanding riffs or winning melodies remain a rare asset. I do not hide the positive fact that the album does not pander to the mainstream. Nevertheless, somebody should have killed the hyperactive keyboard / piano player at the latest after the recording of the first five songs in order to give the guitars more space. You say this is forbidden by law? Weak argument.

Despite the fact that "Laguz" is overloaded with keyboard sounds, it is anything else but a shitty work. Nonetheless, it suffers from its exorbitant pathos. Some moments of profound heaviness and instrumental density are not enough to push this comeback on the tier of their previously released discs. The formidable "Apostasa" remains the only song which is able to challenge the comparable old classics such as "Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)" or "Templar". The musically gifted Belgians have reached a deadlock and I recommend a return to the eternal values of metal - power, virulence and combativeness - without erasing their trademark, the affinity for generous song arrangements completely. Just my two cents.

GuntherTheUndying, August 31st, 2015

I think Ancient Rites has found itself trapped within the strange void of legendary, trailblazing bands that are somehow unrecognized. Ancient Rites is a phenomenal group, responsible for creating outstanding opuses of both black metal and symphonic-loaded folk stuff, although rudimentary terms hardly scratch the mystery hiding beneath the surface. Following a nine-year lull in which Ancient Rites’ activity was uncertain comes “Laguz,” and while one might have validity questioning whether or not honoring the fallen through hymns of war might have lost its magic by now, it is made clear as day from the start that little in the Ancient Rites camp has been abandoned. “Laguz” seems to have no issues carrying the organic nuances that made this Belgium faction so endearing.

What “Laguz” does better than anything is represent the Ancient Rites tribe in a comprehensive scope of the group’s many traits and characteristics. The album is heavy on symphonic arrangements and folk influences circulating vigorously through the pumping heart of black metal. Carrying such a wide style of attack often clogs up an instrumental front, but Ancient Rites is able to find a compelling balance between all. The tremolo-picked riffs and blast beats, both ample in count throughout, serve to bolster the detailed orchestral movements stirring up above the battleground. This is an essential factor to consider given the sequences could have survived and created a substantial album had the symphonic arrangements been scrapped; they don’t carry the weight of the music, but add atmosphere and emotion.

“Laguz” is an anomaly in this regard, especially during a time when bands like Wintersun and Septicflesh (or Septic Flesh, or whatever) shoehorn in as much symphonic stuff as possible for no appropriate reason. But “Laguz” also boasts incredible melodies and poignant solos penetrating the conflict of sensations already boiling up from what Ancient Rites creates here. There is a vital balance between the many faces of the band shining through and swapping out, though the transformations are done with subtlety and grace. The panorama is further enriched by Gunther Theys’ incredible vocals, which are more narrative and spoken than the type of shrieks or growls often found in this niche.

The only thing holding back “Laguz” is the production, which is too synthetic and too digital-sounding to give the record the true sound it deserves. But looking at the songwriting and the natural integrating of symphonic elements into its black/folk metal system without creating a lazy terrain makes the affair meaningful, and worthy of the Ancient Rites banner. As expected, Ancient Rites has done little wrong, and what a scene it is to see them dust off the cobwebs and come soaring back to life.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

mjollnir, April 4th, 2015

Ancient Rites has had a long and illustrious career spanning more than two decades. Starting out as a black metal band with really early material bordering on Celtic Frost worship they seem to be overlooked when it comes to early black metal, and that's a shame because they were doing it right around the second wave was in full bloom. The future would hold something quite different for these Belgians as they went into a more epic viking metal direction starting with 1998's Fatherland and peaking with 2001's Dim Carcosa. It's been almost a decade since their last album, Rubicon, has graced our ears and finally we have their newest opus, Laguz, and man was it worth the wait.

Sometimes, you never know what you are going to get when there is such a long time between releases. It could either be really good or really bad. In the case of Ancient Rites, the result is an excellent epic metal album that picks up where the last album left off without it ever feeling like there was a nine year lull in hearing from this band. The band's consistency is due to the one constant in the band, bassist/vocalist Gunther Theys. It shows that his influence in the songwriting is all over this album. After an instrumental into we have "Carthago Legenda Est." This song is proof that, once again, we will get another history lesson from this band as this song is about the Punic wars that waged for over one hundred years in the third/second century B.C. As one would expect with this kind of lyrical content that this would be another killer epic from this band. The song is brilliant in it's epic feel as the orchestrations are real. The musician ship is just top notch here. The orchestrations are prominent but the riffs and the blast beats drive this song. Gunther's vocals are a cross between a black metal rasp and an almost narrative tone. He's telling a story set to music. The melodies in this song are quite infectious and culminate with a nice solo at the midway point in the song.

These guys also prove that you don't always have to write eight or nine minute songs to be epic as fuck. Most of the songs on this album straddle the five minute mark but seem to pack so many elements into these songs. Each one tells it's own story but the music stays within that epic theme. "Under the Sign of Laguz" brings us back to the viking age with killer blasts, serious tremolo riffs, and bombastic orchestrations. There's a lot of metal out there labeled as symphonic metal but, in my opinion, this is the epitome of symphonic metal. Less than five and a half minutes long, this song takes you on a musical journey through the ancient north lands and ancient Nordic mythology with Gunther's signature way of "narrating" the story that this song tells. It is at this point that it hits me that even the band's name matches their music. "Apostata" starts off with an almost eastern feel in the orchestrations then kicks in with the heavy guitars and some killer eastern feeling lead riffs driving the song along with the bombastic orchestrations. This is the longest song on the album and is just epic from beginning to end. There are so many elements to this song that a proper description would be pointless, let alone impossible.

"Umbru Sumus" is another song that needs mention here shut due to it's sheer brilliance. From the opening riffs you get the feeling that this song is something special. It opens with some serious tremolos and blasts but transitions to be so much more. As with every song on this album, the orchestrations are there and this song adds another layer with some prominent piano involved. This is one of those songs that just defines this band and their own special brand of epic metal that only these guys can do. This song is heavy, melodic, bombastic without being pompous or pretentious. It leads right into the last proper song on the album, "Frankenland." This song is less than four and a half minutes but seems to pack just as much bombastic epic metal as the longer songs. This song has that special something that makes it one of those songs that gives me chills while it is playing. Gunther's narrative giving us another history lesson is part of the magic that is Ancient Rites. A brief narrative over piano and acoustic guitars rounds out the album with a short song, "Fatum." It's the perfect way to end a perfect album.

Once again, this band has not let me down. There is no song on this album that is out of place or drags this album down. Each song flows to the next with precision and sheer brilliance. Hey, how can you go wrong with an album that has a photo of the original Sutton Hoo helmet as it's cover art? If you are a fan of this band and have been wondering where they've been for the last nine years, this is your answer. Does it take nine years to create perfection? Maybe it does because this album is just that, perfect.


The Elitist Metalhead