Ancient Lights - Ancient Lights (2018)
With their self-titled debut album, the
three-piece of Ancient Lights (bringing together members of 5ive,
Ramesses, and Switchblade) showcase their heaviness through almost
ninety minutes of powerfully atmospheric doom. Primarily
instrumental, and operating mainly off of the guitar/bass/drums
foundation, the songs tend towards forms of slow build-up and gradual
erosion around central riffs, with tone and technique savoring
providing the bulk of the enjoyment. Lances of guitar feedback and
slams of crashing bass augmented by cymbal clangs, slow plows of
string reverberation and counter-play, and keening wails coaxed from
the instruments are plied into a massive set of slabs, the sort of
thing to let play while you get more and more dazed on your substance
of choice, or just the music alone.
Judging the overall flow of the album
is difficult, not just because of its sheer size, or the
semi-hypnotic effect of the music, but also because it drifts along
with such ungrounded freedom that remembering whether a given chord
strain went to this track or that is like trying to sift out specific
grains of sand from a wall-sized dune. It's enjoyable, no doubt, and
powerful to boot, but it really is the sort of album to have to spend
some time with to just to be able to confidently pick out distinct
portions and hold them in mind. Are those really recurring
progressions, or have I slipped into a daze? That sort of thing. If
you can dig channelings of pretty potent doom into almost entirely
instrumental beams, don't miss out on this album. It's due out July
6th, so mark your calendar and prepare your ears.
~ Gabriel
For Fans Of; Jupiterian, Ksyatriya,
Lustmord, Major Kong, Neptune Towers
~
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