Review by Raphaël on September 18, 2024.

From the first acoustic guitar notes, playing a folky melody, building up to a short silence, followed by a simple and catchy heavy metal-sounding riff, accompanied by his clean vocals, you feel like you’ve entered a special place, beyond this plane of existence, looking at vast cosmic entities. After a few minutes of progressively more complex riffs and drum work, the guitars get sludgy and distinctively heavier, with a darker atmosphere, culminating in his powerful death growls. Everything then dramatically shifts to a softer and slower drum beat, filled with soft cymbal work, that accompanies a slow and bluesy electric guitar solo-ish, while switching back to his cleans, but this time, with an extra softness to them. The Opeth influences are on full display here. But, Opeth is one of many influences appearing on Beyond The Reach Of The Sun, soon after the softer section begins, a psychedelic synth appears out of nowhere, changing the mood from relaxing to more mysterious. And, as abruptly as it slowed down, it picks up at full speed once again, on the kick drum and with a death metal tremolo picking, even with a furious blastbeat exploding near the end, all accompanied by his impressive death-growls. The song ends on a droning fadeout transitioning smoothly to the next. This was the first song of an hour (1h15, if you listen to the bonus tracks) long journey, telling the story of a society that’s enslaved by forces from another dimension, that is at its core a story about perseverance.

The easiest way to describe their sound is, if Opeth and Mastodon fused together. But even that description is a bit limited to describe the scope of their music. Metal Archives list their genre simply as, extreme progressive metal, which is extremely vague but I feel, is the only way you can accurately describe their sound. Kenneth Paul Cook provides both clean and harsh vocals this time, with his growls being as deep and guttural as ever and his cleans being at times sludgy and nasal but also, soaring and epic as well as soft and showing vulnerability. Mike Hannay is still on drums and they sound better than ever, they can sound huge, fast and complex as well as soft and slow, helping to change the vibes, working in tandem with everything else. The guitars go to everything from death metal to folk rock, passing by doom, sludge and psychedelic. But at its core, it’s progressive, which means a lot of complexity, technicality and of course, a lot of face melting solos. Their Bandcamp description goes as follows; “Somewhere between sheer, apocalyptic heaviness and precise riffing, lays otherworldly ANCIIENTS—a Vancouver-based rock juggernaut forging crushing heavy metal.” Every song has memorable moments, it’s pure musical and lyrical magic.

The theme of perseverance, having so much meaning for me! Being severely disabled, I’ve had to, and still am, persevering through many, many challenges. But I’d say, particularly resonating in these last 11 months, witnessing the horrors of genocide. These lyrics, from the point of view of the tyrant, seem to fit with the Israeli regime so much: “Despise a world once owned Foresee fire A tyrant I’ve become Empathy escapes me Wrath I have come to claim my throne Waster of worlds Reclaim what’s been bestowed Appearing without warning Incursion if your home Bringing death upon you” This is my personal favorite kind of lyricism, beautiful lyrics that are vague enough, so that everybody will have a different interpretation of them. These brilliant lyrics are from the song 'Celestial Tyrant' and of course, they are accompanied by equally brilliant music. Opening with a fast-paced, solo drum beat, quickly joined by impeccable bass lines, once again showcasing the strength of the rhythm section, proving Rory O'Brien was a great addition to the band. The guitars soon join in the fun, playing a classic sounding, heavy metal riff, all united with epic clean vocals. The mood then becomes instantly darker as Kenneth transforms his melodic and pure voice into a deep and guttural growl, à la Mikael Åkerfeldt. These vocal transitions are so precise and well timed with the instruments, they are a huge component of the incredible variety found everywhere on the album. After a few minutes of this kind of dynamic song writing, a fast paced and melodic solo takes center stage, telling part of the story with its musical phrasing. The solo is followed by a few growled lines, culminating with an instrumental eruption of technical riffing, complex drums and ends as abruptly as it began.

It’s rare an album leaves you speechless after your first listen. Beyond The Reach Of The Sun was such an album but its beauty is that, after every new listen, you will discover more passages you didn’t hear before, a notable solo, an almost "oriental sounding" acoustic guitar picking, a different vocal melody, a crushing doomy riff, an almost voivod sounding intro, an instrumental part, probably inspired in part by Rush and each new discovery will make you fall in love even deeper with their musical world. Each song stands out, while still being an inseparable part of the whole, making you want to restart the journey again and again. This year is proving to be a massive year for progressive metal, showing how diverse it is and I’m here every step of the way, enjoying every moment.

Rating: 9.8 out of 10

Review by Jeger on July 26, 2024.

Just beyond life's many awe-inspiring moments there lies the valley - that dreadful place during your existence where all hangs in the balance and you have very little control over the outcome. Even our bravest dreams and ambitions cannot stand when death calls…For British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada's Anciients, the world was their proverbial oyster following the release of their debut Heart Of Oak LP in 2013; dropping jaws and solidifying themselves as more than contenders for prog metal dominance. But life has its fun little ways of jamming its flagpole into your spokes, and for Anciients guitarist/vocalist Kenny Cook, said face-plant came in the form of my would be worst nightmare. Just before their sophomore effort, Voice Of The Void LP, was recorded, his wife gave birth to their first child and her life was in jeopardy due to post-natal heart complications from which she almost passed. She survived, but then lies the task of raising a baby. All of this along with some departures and various other turmoils effectively put the brakes on any momentum Anciients may have possessed going in. But now… All is copacetic at Anciients camp, and from out of the valley and back into the azures we ascend as we anticipate 2024's Beyond The Reach Of The Sun, scheduled to be released on August 30, 2024 via Season of Mist.

Opeth and Mastodon? Cute stuff in comparison to Anciients. Only the likes of Katatonia are possessing of such class and only the likes of Haken or Rivers Of Nihil are possessing of such vision. Likely the product of these dudes as kids hunkered in their bedrooms with their instruments while other kids played Xbox online and ate chicken nuggets… With Beyond The Reach Of The Sun, Anciients put world-dominating adeptness on display, all the while as they exercise musical wisdom beyond their years. The resulting masterpiece is one that is wholly accessible to any and all levels of extreme metal connoisseurism.

Progressive but not flamboyant or masturbatory, no sense of overindulgence and no inclination that these guys are just trying to impress other musicians. An album designed with you in mind is Beyond The Reach Of The Sun, and as stunningly produced tracks like the riff-happy 'Despoiled' unfold, it will undoubtedly be to a bong rip or two. Ah, that’s better. What better way to enjoy those savory leads and galloping rhythms? Åkerfeldt-heralding cleans giving way to brutal gutturals and mid-tempo'd progressions carrying over into slow doom-worthy passages before a tempestuous riffing maelstrom fit for Tornado Alley transpires. Put this on and just drive, man. Don't think about where, just get on the highway and allow your mind to wander. So what if you end up in bumfuck nowhere, because following this record lies an awakening to the fact that Anciients are probably the most talented prog band out there and that you need gas…

So much to take in during each epic chapter, so crisp, clear and yet not sanitized. Styles ranging from a little prog-death brutality during moments of 'Is It Your God' to some darkly elegant, almost blackened atmosphere during the intro to the following track 'Cloak Of The Vast And Black'. But always back to the album’s riff-laden foundation do Anciients return for your listening pleasure. And it wouldn't be a prog album without that bizarre sense of 70's Atari nostalgia. You'll experience some of that peppered in and some funk? Some very unique stuff going on during 'Celestial Tyrant', like if Les Claypool decided to play a guitar… Groovy and reciprocal, technical and of course progressive to its core.

When the coveted balance between what's progressive and what's musically proper is achieved, the resulting sonic emanation will undoubtedly sound like Beyond The Reach Of The Sun. And is that a sleazy rock lead I hear now during 'The Torch'? You could fuck to this one! Okay, maybe not but I think Slash just got an unexplained hard-on. And now some aquatic smooth jazz to bring forth the end of what's been a remarkable journey. With such striking audiovisuals to be absorbed during the closing track, 'In The Absence Of Wisdom', you'll be gripping onto what's left of this album until your knuckles turn white. And to end with such energy is refreshing as opposed to what I was expecting, which was the overly-drawn-out and utterly pretentious epic.

As we embrace forward-thinking music even more now than ever before, this particular era in extreme metal history is proving to be fertile soil for bands like Anciients. These guys just get it. They're not scrambling to release such cutting edge material that no one understands it, but instead this glorious sonic elixir that does push the envelope but not beyond where one would dare grasp. Class cannot be taught! Just an organic understanding of what constitutes important music to be found here. To go beyond the Sun's reach into the cold expanse of the unknown. An escape! An excursion into places beyond imagination lies just ahead. Bon voyage...

Captivation: 10/10
Concept: 10/10
Cover Art: 10/10
Production: 10/10
Revisitability: 10/10

Rating: 10 out of 10