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

Review by Fernando on March 26, 2025.

One of the biggest and most welcomed surprises I ran into during the pandemic days was black metal outfit Spite's 2018 debut album Antimoshiach, which was a display of USBM that felt vintage and refreshing, especially after what at the time felt like a flood of Finnish worship bands, Mgła clones and a legion of "vampiric raw black metal" demos on Bandcamp, but I digress. And in mid-2024, Spite finally returned with The Third Temple, their long-awaited sophomore opus.

As someone who was very impressed with this band, as well as Salpsan's (the band's mastermind) label Stygian Black Hand roster of East Coast USBM and death metal bands, I'd be the first to admit that I was eagerly looking forward to this record, and full disclosure, I really, really enjoyed this record. And not only is it a new record, but it's 12 tracks long and clocks at an hour long. It was almost too good to be true, but it is.

Anyway, given my immediate predisposition for this band, what exactly does Salpsan do right, and what has he also brought into the table this time around? For starters everything good about the previous record is still present, and stronger than ever; blasphemous and thrashy black metal with strong heavy metal classicism, a blasphemous atmosphere, a balance of mid-pace rhythm and blistering speed, the works. Although the most impressive aspect continues to be how, despite this being a solo project, it definitely doesn't sound like one, the production by Jamie Elton (and props to him this record sounds pristine and raw, which is hard to do) does an excellent job at keeping the raw performance of each instrument, while also giving the music an organic sound akin to 80's records, think Slayer's "Reign In Blood", or Mercyful Fate's "Melissa", which is appropriate considering the band's overall style.

The most significant change and improvement from the previous record, which was also excellent, is the sense of scale. The overall songwriting is much more layered and complex, while the instrumentation is kept simple and there aren't synths or effects, everything is enhanced, the riffs are much more aggressive and ornate, the drumming is wildly eclectic, the bass lines are forceful and melodic, and so on. Though the element that truly gives the album and music that grand sense of scale is the vocals. Salpsan's vocals fit in that distinctly American style of growled vocals that can be heard in early USBM bands like Profanatica, and he's always being good at it, however, he actually varies his vocals, doing dramatic choirs, high-pitch screaming, and some whispers and spoken words, depending of a given song's atmosphere and vibe.

All of the previous elements in the instrumentation and performance are in service of the lyrical content and the album's concept about its namesake, the next temple of Jerusalem succeeding Solomon's, except this new temple will be erected in the name of Satan by the Antichrist, incidentally, the arrival of the spawn of Satan was the concept of the previous album. So obviously the lyrics are blasphemy, but unlike most black metal bands, Salpsan delves into Hebrew beliefs, and he delves deep, the fact that a black metal band can blaspheme using both Christian and Jewish beliefs without falling into fash nonsense is commendable, but beyond that, Spite's unique approach to Satanism and blasphemy is what makes it so refreshing.

To me, there's little to nothing to criticize or even nitpick, beyond the obvious like the extended length and repetition, but again, those are nitpicks, and they hold no water to an album that succeeds at everything the artist set up to accomplish. The only reason why I don't give it a perfect score is because while I still thoroughly enjoy this record, the first listen is always the best and most impactful.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Jeger on August 11, 2024.

The convoluted realm of Jewish Mysticism has been explored with much fervor by contemporary black metal bands as of late: the mythical world of Qliphoth and Kabbalah as so detailed by esoteric collectives such as Gevurah (Swe) and Serpent Noir (Gre) whose occult works directly correlate with their artistic ventures. The music created by these bands is music with a different kind of purpose; the worship of the Dark Gods and music as a conduit for Satanic energy, but the tales are oft disregarded - those forlorn romantic stories of Solomon, Herod, and their taboo delving into forbidden spiritual scapes. Now, much like how Rotting Christ romanticized Satanism with their early recordings, USA’s Spite are injecting some imaginative serum into olde Jerusalem with tales of the Antichrist and of the Satanic empire. 

Six years now since the rise of Antimoshiach, and now a new chapter in the Apocrypha of Salspan - the Antichrist incarnate and the furthering of Satan’s kingdom is set to unfold. Within Spite’s sophomore effort, The Third Temple, set to be released on September 27 via Invictus Productions, you’ll bear witness to the kingdom’s fall, absorb the magickal energy of ancient relics, and see the rise of His Infernal Empire during the height of religious vies for power over the Holy Land. Black metal executed with all the frantic urgency of Absu but enriched by highly visual, exotic, almost cinematic soundscapes similar to those of Lamp Of Murmuur and not without a little black & roll grime is The Third Temple - a labyrinthine journey of a record wherein nothing is as it seems or as you can predict it to be, only alongside diablerie compositions fraught with maniacal riffs, hyper rhythms and frenetic changes in tempo shall you run during this, Earth’s final divine conflict. And as you come under spells like the Beherit-worshipping 'Unblessed' and the Darkthrone-heralding 'Yahweh’s Vengeance', you’ll uncover a sliver of the under-appreciated influential majesty of contemporary USBM. 

The aesthetic and the vibe of The Third Temple like a scene in some lost classic era film where the protagonist walks into a vast chamber haunted with scantily clad vixens swaying beside monolithic columns to the sound of exotic rhythms, the smoke of ancient elixirs and the vintage Technicolor blessedly intoxicating the atmosphere - all in service to the Olde Gods and for the ecstasy of the flesh. Grab some popcorn, kids, because this is downright entertainment, a triumph! Eagerly awaiting every part as each suspenseful passage dominos into the next during the brilliant 'Desert Demons'; a racing tremolo and an intrepid blast-beat-driven compositional specimen. Dime-a-dozen are most black metal solo projects, but Salspan proving to be quite the Troubadour and most certainly a most adept musician here as he offers up genuine yet unique black metal produced with an artisan’s touch. 

The heartbeat of The Third Temple, the cadence of it as menacing as a late-night chase by an axe murderer and as unrelenting as a bare-handed death-beating. Definitely the top selling point with those unpredictably executed but unforgettable guitar riffs - a myriad of techniques so masterfully explored and executed - following in second. The energy writhes and tempests as would storm waves cresting violently upon stony shores during the album’s climactic titular cut: melodic tremolo riffs, cymbals-elaborated blast-beats, and more of those sinister martial beats that tease and torment so unforgivingly to close out what’s been an enthralling pre-Christ epic. All for Satan’s kingdom! As worldly sects foolishly vie for sway over their precious Holy Land, His Infernal Majesty prepares his Earthly reign. May all hails be unto Him and to the unsung glory of USBM. 

Rating: 9/10