ALBUM REVIEW: Ancestral Shadows – Wolven Mysteries Of Ancient Lore

The third full length album from US Black Metallers ANCESTRAL SHADOWS is here! Out now via Humanity’s Plague Productions. Time for some atmospherics!

Opening with glorious Dungeon Synth vibes to bring that Tolkien feel to the music ahead, the atmosphere is immediately incredibly and really beautifully built up with layers of dense ambience. There is a stunningly mighty glistening and ethereal feel to the synths themselves that really nails the right sound. Piercingly melodic and folky guitars set the assault into overdrive, met with tormented screams and fierce drumming, with plentiful atmospheric nuance, the walls of cascading battle-ready soundscapes are heavy but in a way the is utterly gorgeous. Diversity in tempo is used to keep anything from becoming repetitive with a smattering of epically powerful synths buried in the twisted vocals, monolithic guitars and pounding drums. A concisely tight mix keeps everything audible but without compressing the sound into oblivion which definitely suits the band well. My first impression of the sound itself is that this will certainly appeal to lovers of VARGRAV yet with a more folky pace to it that is uniquely upbeat while drenched in reverb and ambience to keep a somewhat melancholic touch. Powerfully mournful sections and screeching are used in equilibrium with the jaunty sections to juxtapose the mood and offset any overly joyful feeling the album may convey, keeping it grounded and well balanced. The variation is there but with subtlety, allowing the sweeping waves of melody to keep you ensnared for the records duration and hypnotised by the seemingly infinite layers of fantastic musicianship. Between the mournful and the glorious there are carefully scattered sections of mid tempo swaying sections that are suitably tranquil and make the harder hitting sections feel even more devastating. Of course the album features acoustic work too such as the beginning of “Black Autumn Silence” which certainly permeates and autumnal ambience, especially with the female vocals, that is totally haunting. Surging through section after section of brilliantly thought out ideas, the transitional periods of the album are smooth and really tie everything together nicely for a feeling of completion that has clearly not been rushed. Even with all of this praise, I must include that immersive diversity in ideas further with some admirable lead guitar work that is as chilling as the ambience itself and even some doomy parts that lull you into an almost catatonic state betwixt so many medieval warfare conjuring soundscapes. Magnificently executed, this should be on the listen list of all Atmospheric Black Metal lovers. For me this felt like a perfect blend of influence from VARGRAV, CALADON BROOD, DRUADAN FOREST, BURZUM, DRUDKH and SUMMONING. Superb! -8.5/10