EPK – Ancient Thrones – The Veil (2020)
For fans of Revocation, Skeletonwitch, The Red Chord, The Black Dahlia Murder, Wolves in the Throne Room
Album Title: The Veil
Release Date: November 6, 2020
Label: Self-Release
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“A full-throttle attack, the song (The Sight of Oblivion) delivers bludgeoning rhythms, vicious darting and slashing guitar-work, scorching blackened shrieks, and cold-hearted roars. There’s a brazen, borderline-unhinged quality to the barrage, generated by screaming, rapidly whirling leads, magma-like bass notes, and fast-changing, bone-cracking drums. But within the assault there are also fluid, sinuous melodic leads whose mellifluous, reverberating tones give the music a mysterious, mesmerizing, and mournful quality. And near the end one of those leads morphs into a fret-burning dual-guitar extravaganza that really gets the blood rushing.” – No Clean Singing
“Nearly an hour in length, The Veil earns that run-time with crisply-written compositions and an arsenal of sky-ripping riffs. The acoustic reprieve of “Sentient” and melodic grief of “Permanent” reveal the album’s heavy heart. But the album conjures strength from those pensive moments. Rife with nimble axe-work from Dylan Wallace and Nick Leslie, The Veil never succumbs to the solemnity of its subject. The Veil remains an impactful listen down to its final dying note.” – Decibel Magazine
“From the icy lands of Halifax, Nova Scotia lies one of Canada’s best-kept secrets: Ancient Thrones! …Fusing the intensity of traditional black metal with the modern stylings and production of death metal and tech death, “Divided/Dissolve” has a little bit of something for everyone. From the massive tremolo sections and bludgeoning riffs to the surprisingly melodic harmonies between guitarists Dylan Wallace and Nick Leslie, Ancient Thrones have definitely honed in on something special with this track.” – GearGods
“Canadian band Ancient Thrones perform a combination of black, death and thrash metal with some progressive tendencies on The Veil. They have similarities to Skeletonwitch, but have an even more dynamic sound. The songs are both aggressive and intelligent in equal measure and run through a variety of different emotional tangents. There is a vile and harsh aspect to the band, but there is also a forward thinking one. It all results in a creative and dynamic listen.” – Heavy Music Headquarters
“The prize for most ambitious album of 2020 already has the name of Ancient Thrones carved in marble. Who among you fancies a 56-minute blackened death metal saga with an epic meditation on one man’s descent into the afterlife? No band thought it conceivable to write the metal version of Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, but this Nova Scotia quartet are not just any band. This is a remarkable journey for the contemplative mind.” – Scream Blast Repeat
“a 57-minute descent into purgatory….” – Permafrost Today
“The Sight of Oblivion and The Millionth Grave are steeped in ferociousness and savagery as only a band well versed in blackened death metal are capable of producing.8.5/10” – Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life
“With this new incarnation, Ancient Thrones has moved into strict Black/Death territory, producing an album filled with pummeling riffs, intricate song structures, and technical musicianship that’s leavened by atmospheric segments and epic, sometimes audacious melodies that border on Cascadian. The production matches this style perfectly, being heavy and abrasive while allowing the songs enough room to stretch out… fans of more epic and melodic Black/Death will want to give The Veil a listen. 4/5” – The Metal Crypt
“It is fast, thrashing extreme metal with shrieked/growled vocals, and a headbanging attitude. They have elements of thrash, black and death but their method of delivery won’t confuse anyone. It is metal to make the fans move. It is pretty thrashy, pretty brutal but also melodic, and the guitar work has plenty to offer both in the riffs and the melodies.” – Metal Bulletin
“one of the most promising young bands in the region (Atlantic Canada) right now […] I already can’t wait for the next one. 4/5 stars” – Mettalworx Music Group
“Equally impressive is that no track feels as if it’s been bled of its passion and drive during the writing process; a genuine love of metal in all its forms shines through on each track, making the EP a wonderfully enjoyable 26 minutes.” – The Sound Not The Word (Review 2016 – Storming the Black Gate EP)
“This is some world-class metal, folks, get it, listen to it, and enjoy. And, as a side-note, ‘Storming the Black Gate’ easily stands out as one of the strongest New Brunswick metal releases of all time. Snatch up one of the physical copies before they sell out and the band is signed to Metal Blade or somebody who will do a mass-produced re-release Or find them on Bandcamp.” (Review 2016 – Storming the Black Gate EP)
BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS
1. Started as Abysseral Throne in 2011, released 1 LP, and 1 EP on physical CD. Changed name to Ancient Thrones in January of 2018. This is the first release as Ancient Thrones.
2. The band name Ancient Thrones is an evolution of Abysseral Throne but it also comes from a lyric in the Wolves in the Throne Room song, “Astral Blood”, which is one of the band’s biggest inspirations and favourite black metal bands.
“The moon leads celestial legions, to cast the stars from their ancient thrones”.
3. Ancient Thrones lost their initial singer and guitar player right before they were supposed to open up for Beyond Creation. Having just moved to Halifax and not knowing too many guitar players they asked Dylan Wallace, a Halifax Local, who he might know that could fill in for us on guitar. He gave them a list of people but after none of those guys worked out Ancient Thrones went back to Dylan for more suggestions not even occurring to ask him due to how stupid good he is. He actually suggested he do it though and nearly flawlessly sight-read the band’s entire set the first time he saw the sheet music for their songs not even really having had heard them before. After that display, they knew they had their man and he’s been in the band ever since.
4. There have been 2 Matts on bass, 2 Nicks on guitar, and almost even 2 Seans in the span of Ancient Thrones’ time as a band. The only member in the band not professionally educated in music is Sean, who ironically taught himself to play drums.
5. Matt does all of the merchandise designs, album designs, band photography, pre-production, mixing, mastering, booking, and anything else under the sun. The band’s logo was designed by Mark Richards of Heavy Hand illustration who designed above all else the Revocation logo, another of the band’s big inspirations.
[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]
Album Title: The Veil
Release Date: November 6, 2020
Label: Self-Release
Track Listing:
1. Transient (1:58)
2. The Sight of Oblivion (6:00)
3. The Millionth Grave (5:53)
4. The Soul to Flesh (6:14)
5. Viduus (The Veil) (9:29)
6. Sentient (2:11)
7. The River of Rain (4:32)
8. Divided/Dissolve (9:12)
9. The Infinite Eyes (9:10)
10. Permanent (2:54)
Album Length: 57:38
Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: Ancient Thrones except guest piano performance in “The Soul to Flesh” by Ashley Cates
• All songs written by: Ancient Thrones
• Produced & Engineered by: Don Walls
• Mixed by: Matt LeBlanc & Don Walls
• Mastered by: Matt LeBlanc
• Album Artwork by: Kyle Archer
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
Album & Live Band Line Up:
Sean Hickey – Drums, Vocals
Matt LeBlanc – Bass, Cello
Dylan Wallace – Guitar
Nick Leslie – Guitar
L-R: Ancient Thrones Current Line Up| Dylan Wallace (Guitar)| Nick Leslie (Guitar)| Sean Hickey (Drums,Vocals)| Matt LeBlanc (Bass)
Photo Credit – Matt LeBlanc
Ancient Thrones, formerly “Abysseral Throne”, is an Atlantic Canada acclaimed blackened metal outfit that rebranded to suit major changes in line-up and songwriting.
Formed in 2011 in New Brunswick and now residing in Halifax, NS, they quickly went to work to establish themselves among their scene and gained local notoriety eventually allowing them the opportunities to open for renowned metal acts from across the globe.
Sean Hickey (drums/vocals) is the sole original founder of Abysseral remaining, Matt LeBlanc joined in 2015 on bass and improved and refined the sound and operation drastically. Once they lost their original singer and guitar player Jonny Rains, Dylan Wallace joined and took over main songwriting duties. Hickey took over completely on vocals with a black/death metal vocal style, and Nick Leslie joined shortly after on the second guitar. Work began on writing a new album which took about 3 months to write the music for. The new material sparked the name change to Ancient Thrones as an homage to one of Hickey’s favorite bands and inspirations, Wolves in the Throne Room.
In 2013, the band released its debut record and its subsequent follow-up in 2016, “Storming The Black Gate”, which was nominated for an East Coast Music Award. Ancient Thrones have toured throughout Canada, and played at several festivals, sharing the stages with bands such as Silverstein, The Agonist, Black Crown Initiate, and Skull Fist.
2020 sees the release of the concept album “The Veil” showcasing the band’s desire for storytelling and pushing them to new heights musically. The new album explores the journey of a man faced with tragedy, his mortality and ultimately the permanence of our actions told through technical soundscapes and haunting atmosphere.
“The Veil” is due out November 6, 2020.
Discography:
2020 – The Veil – LP
2016 – Storming the Black Gate – EP
2013 – Reflections Enthroned – LP
2012 – Chasm in Permafrost – Demo
Shared Stage with:
Screamer (Sweden), Alcoholator- 2012
Vital Remains – 2013
The Faceless, Rings of Saturn, Within the Ruins – 2013
Skull Fist – 2014
Black Crown Initiate – 2015
Vesperia – 2015
Wilt – 2016
Silverstein, The Agonist, Cauldron, Nervosa – 2016
Anonymus – 2016
Beyond Creation, Unbeing – 2016
Cruciamentum, Thantifaxath – 2017
Tours and Festivals:
2019 – The Final Mettalfest – Halifax, NS
2017 – Mettalworx Mettalfest – Halifax, NS
2017 – Pandamonium Minifest – Ottawa, ON
2017 – Metal Bukkake 3 – Cocagne, NB
2017 – ECMA Loud Showcase – Saint John, NB
2016 – East Coast Awakening – Keswick, NB
2015 – Mud City Meltdown – Moncton, NB
2015 – Maritime Metal & Hard Rock Festival 3 – Windsor, NS
2014 – Maritime Metal & Hard Rock Festival 2 – Aylesford, NS
#54 in GridCity Magazines 100 Essential NB Releases 2016
PureGrain Audio (Now V13) And Justice For Art Best Underground Metal Album Covers Vol 1
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