| CD REVIEW Siege Of Amida Record special 2011: Ancient Ascendant - As They Burn - Ichor |
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Label: Siege Of Amida Records Since we started working with Extreme Metal-label Siege Of Amida, I’ve been positively surprised more than once. Just check out the reviews on acts like Ingested (grinding Death Metal), Waking The Cadaver (Slamming Gore Groove, aka technical and brutal Death Metal), The Bridal Procession (modern Blast-Death), Dripback (great crossover of Metal / Punk / Grind / Hardcore) or Ageless Oblivion (modern Tech-Death), amongst others, posted earlier this year. We did receive a fresh new package recently, which includes new (magnificent!) material (by Ancient Ascendant and As They Burn) and one re-release (Ichor). The label will also release some other stuff, yet it won’t be part of this special. …yet soon to come…
Band: Ancient Ascendant Ancient Ascendant hail from the London region and in 2008 the band released the critical acclaimed EP The Heathen Throne. In 2009 they went on tour with Fleshgod Apocalypse and in 2010 Ancient Ascendant were invited by Bolt Thrower to open their sold out show in London City. Next step was writing and recording new material and signing a decent label to release the newly recorded stuff. Earlier this year a deal with Siege Of Amida got signed and the debut full length got released past summer. The Grim Awakening was mixed and mastered at the famous Polish Hertz Studio (Moon, Calm hatchery, Vader, Decapitated, Emeth a.m.o.) and has a total running time of forty two minutes. It combines the basics of the Old School with a fine injection of modern power and energy. The slightly progressive and technical song structures come with a catchy groove and dynamic and powerful melodies, in general rather timeless, yet careful at the same time. There are certain comparisons to later Carcass, at least so says the bio, yet Ancient Ascendant have, in spite not being original at all, a self-developed sound. Not once The Grim Awakening does annoy me, yet I do miss an additional dimension of uniqueness, because this album does sound somewhat safe (which does not mean it isn’t brutal – at all!). Some parts are above average, some are, nevertheless, predictable as well. And that’s my main problem. This band impresses more than once, but one might lose its attention from time to time, I’m afraid. However, I’m convinced about Ancient Ascendant’s superiority. Pros: the vocals (a demonical deep throat and some nice additional screams), the variation in speed and, well, let’s call it ‘melody’, the structures of each composition, the massive sound (!) etc. 85/100 Band: As They Burn As They Burn, hailing from France, release their debut full length (thirty eight minutes) through the strongly upcoming label Siege Of Amida. Aeon’s War consists of nine tracks that combine groove with melody, and pounding aggressiveness with technical skills. When it comes to these technical skills, I must mention the sound and the mechanical approach. The sound fits perfectly to these scientifically dissected actes de presence, colouring Aeon’s War blood-red, coal-black and blood-red again. Remarkable are the equilibrium between melodic parts and groovy ones, as well as the original additions (like semi-acoustic parts, progressive breaks and hooks, etc.), or the impossibility to place this band in a box whatsoever. Is it groovy Death Metal? psycho-grinding Hardcore?? Post-Metal-Sludge-Groove-Deathcore? Nothing more to add, just: if you can appreciate, how was it, oh yes, Post-Metal-Sludge-Groovedeathcore, then check out this French combo! Highly recommended! 90/100 Band: Ichor Ichor were founded in early 2008 in Trier, Germany, and shortly after the release of the self-produced EP Kingdom Of The Dead (2008), the band signed to Bastardized Records. The band recorded two albums in mean time, The Siege (2009) and Benthic Horizon (2010), which got recorded at the famous Polish Hertz Studio (think Hate, Decapitated, Obtest, The Reckoning, Behemoth etc.) (production, engineering, mix and mastering). Don’t ask me why, but apparently Siege Of Amida will re-release this last year’s record, so here we go again… Benthic Horizon continued where The Siege ended, which means that this album brings a very technical and energetic form of Death Metal with lots of Blast / Grind assaults, a few drop-backs, ingenious hooks and merciless tempo-changes. In spite of this rather progressive approach, the album does not sound avant-garde – on the contrary, more than once I do recognize the (German) old school. Eric Kuhnen’s, finally, throat fits well to the mathematically specified sonic attacks. A must for fans of Immolation, Job For A Cowboy, Behemoth, Whitechapel, Decapitated, Necrophagist, Dying Fetus, Morbid Angel or Aborted. Duration: 38:15 minutes. 84/100 Ivan Tibos. |
