Ancient Lights – Ancient Lights

Ancient Lights bestow an epic debut album upon the world in the form of the self titled ‘Ancient Lights’. Such was the depth of material available to the band, that a double album format was deemed necessary, as well as others.

The Doom genre itself, and in particular perhaps the sub genre of Ambient Doom naturally facilitates the longer length track format, it being pretty impossible to convey the emotion and visual concepts synonymous with the sound in a three or four minute sitting. So what do Ancient Lights bring to the table with this self titled album? Well, for a start, an unnerving ability to create a sound that is totally fluid and without limitations, mixing ethereal with psychedelic, darkness with light, in turn creating a musical landscape that is both soothing and startling in equal measure

From the throbbing, pulsating intro of ’Decaying Lotus’, the listener is carried away on a wave of discovery through worlds both terrestrial and celestial, reminding me in parts of John Martyn’s ’One World’ with its dreamy qualities. ’Temple Ghosts’ has a more sinister edge to it, a tangible malevolence dances to the fore, carried on monastic chants which ebb and flow through the speakers. The tense veil descends further still as we slide into ’War Of Attrition’, a track that weaves through a myriad of different emotions as it continues its path, stopping to take in ’Orichalcum Eater’, perhaps the closest track to normality on the album, with its tortured and distorted guitar riff. If you want epic, then how does seventeen minute ’Against Nature’ grab you? Designed for the soul, a more absorbing passage of music you would be hard pressed to find, a meandering river that takes a slow course, sometimes mirror calm but with the ability to cast you onto the jagged rocks in the blink of an eye

Ancient Lights have produced an album that screams dedication, the end product is testament to the sheer hard work the band have put into this project. Sure, it’s not an album that’s going to get you up on the dance floor anytime soon but it will make you question all that you perceive the Doom genre to be. Highly recommended

Track Listing ;

Decaying Lotus
Temple Ghosts
War Of Attrition
Orichalcum Eater
Asakai Dasa
Against Nature
Miasmaculatum
Fallow Year

Bonus Tracks ;

Vessel Of Inevitability
Slow Breath

Ancient Lights Line Up ;

Tim Bertilsson – Drums
Adam Richardson – Bass, Guitar, Vocals
Ben Carr – Guitar

Ancient Lights is out now via Ritual Productions

https://www.facebook.com/ancientlightsband/