Label: WormHoleDeath
Date: July 21st, 2023
Welcome back my motivation to write, I missed you. In modern ages where we are suffocating from copy paste music, not so original ideas and instant but not so long fame, motivation to be a journalist and write about music can hit the floor and never get back. It’s really hard choice in that situation. My brain is trying to find something good, creative and to keep my attention. In that grey atmosphere I chose Ancestral Blood to give me my will back.
New band to me but not in the world of music, this symphonic black metal band from America got me back to the early 2000s. When it comes to black metal, back in that time it started to get popular, fresh and, in the era of really slow internet, to many an unfamiliar genre of metal. By years it changed a bit but essentials remained the same. Ancestral Blood who was formed at the end of 1990s in their work is trying to keep the sound true to its beginnings. Of course, everyone knows what it means when it comes to black metal. Sometimes it really sounded like they are playing from the bottom of hell, but this band picked the best of riffs and presented us their first full length. They maybe don’t have much material, there is an EP from 2022 and this album from 2023, but I am sure they grew together with their music ‘til now.
On “Forgotten Myths and Legends – Chapter 1” I had a chance to meet with an interesting subject and even more interesting mix of black and melodic metal. From the top to the end Ancestral Blood is leading us on an epic journey with ancient stories with and metal as its soundtrack. “Awaiting Where Calm Wind Blows at Nightfall” which opens this album really doesn’t give us a hint to suspect that melodic black rhapsody is waiting for us right away in next song. Every song has its own atmosphere, just like when you read some history saga and it awakes a special feeling while you are listening. I am really delighted to listen to an album which has diversity of melodies and tempo. Raw old black metal guitar riff as background melody, almost in every song, keeps the melancholic sound. Vocals fit so good that you cannot imagine a different vocal here. With calm atmospheric folk elements, this kind of band reminds me of a Bosnian band called Silent Kingdom. Their journey was long from true black to atmospheric and at the end they mixed those two and made music to remember.
I am really sorry that band with such music abilities like Ancestral Blood doesn’t have more attention on the scene. It’s time for some new gods. Not just in America but generally. Next to music, lyrics written like epic warrior songs will definitely make this album remarkable. Myths and legends keep history of every nation alive. It’s important to keep them through generations because if we forget them our traditions will definitely be forgotten and us as a nation dead.
Metal is known for historic and mythical subjects, so Ancestral Blood can freely stand in a row of those bands. Powerful music is almost always followed by beautiful cover art which pictures the atmosphere of the album completely. When I saw it in our promo material it really gave me goosebumps. First, but good, “Forgotten Myths and Legends – Chapter 1” is an album worth of listening and writing about. I hope that Chapter 2 is cooking and it’s almost done because we need more of this.
