DET GLEMTE RIKET

Ancient is a strange band in the Norwegian black metal scene. For some reason, they were never accepted into the "good company" and lived on it's fringes. They did it their way.

Their first release, this legendary '7 which trades for fortunes on Ebay, is a pretty standard slightly folk music flavoured black metal release. It has two songs. Both of them melodic. Ancient's sound on this '7 is not a esoteric as Burzum/Mayhem. It is more in the direction of Dimmu Borgir. Both the songs here are rather melodic.

The quality is rather good for black metal from that era. It contains the usual black metal vocals, guitars, bass and drums though. This '7 is strictly for their fans though.

2.5 stars

I don't know Ancient's music but I own "True Kings Of Norway", a Split Album compilation containing the debut EPs of Emperoe, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Anciet and Arcturus, all seminal bands for the second Black metal scene, the Norwegian one.

"Der Glemte Riket" is played only by Aphazel (guitar, bass, keyboards) and grimm (vocals, drums) and is an EP... Single with only two songs, "Det Glemte Riket" and "Huldradans" which are sufficiently technical. The production is basic, with a poor and not at all refined sound (this is still today, for too many people, one of the standards of Black Metal). This penalizes the songs making, for example "Huldradans" almost at the limit of listenability. And this does not allow us to understand the atmospheric Black Metal of Ancient. Yet it is clearly perceived that "Der Glemte Riket" is a very good single/ Ep and that Ancient debuted with a very good release.

It's hard to evaluate an EP or single (whatever you want to call it) but I can say that the two songs are really well written and played. Production and mix are in line with the primordial products of the second wave of Black Metal. That is, poor and chaotic. Yet it is clear that Ancient would have left an indelible mark in the history of music.