The Anciients push boundaries of metal
MUSIC: Vancouver band is digging deeper and getting heavier
Challenging times call for action, and in the world of Vancouver metal band Anciients, that means digging deeper and going heavier.
Much has changed for the critically acclaimed quartet since the release of its stellar debut Heart of Oak in 2013, an album that earned the band a Polaris Music Prize long list nod and a Juno nomination for heavy metal album of the year. Heart of Oak also lead the band to perform at high-profile festivals like Roadburn, as well as being “thrown to the wolves” by sharing the stage with powerhouse acts such as Sepultura and Lamb of God.
Since then, vocalist/guitarist Kenny Cook became a dad and turned a construction gig into a guitar-teaching job. Guitarist and assistant growler Chris Dyck adopted three kids and made motorcycles his other passion. Bassist Aaron Gustafson and drummer Mike Hannay have both settled into playing for Anciients pretty much exclusively while relishing spending their spare time in the outdoors with their significant others.
But if things seem a bit more pastoral in real life, Voice of the Void is devastatingly dark and heavy, delving deeper into death metal and gloomy progressive riffs. It’s also more streamlined despite featuring songs clocking in at close to (or more than) 10 minutes — mind-melters Buried in Sand, Worshipper and Ibex Eye — and having shed most of the ’70s rock influences that peppered Heart of Oak.
As the band puts it, Heart of Oak was about the courage of laying down your convictions, musically, on record, while Voice of the Void is about the power to change and evolve.
The “voice” theme recurs throughout, from opener Following the Voice all the way through the cleancut Serpents and into finale Incantations, which opens the door wide to what comes next.
“(The voice) could be a metaphor for the evil in the world and people who control shit behind the scenes,” Cook said in a recent interview at Bully’s Studios in New Westminster, the studio that launched the band. “It’s the bad voice inside you as opposed to the angel on your shoulder.
“It leads you down paths you probably should steer away from.”
“That’s what I was writing about on the album: pathways, choices, self-reflection,” Dyck added.
Voice of the Void rings out loud and clear amid a news cycle dominated by Trump/Clinton, Brexit, the rise of the alt-right, and multiple humanitarian crises worldwide.
“There are people on this planet right now that are so insanely rich that they can spend the amount of money a family could in a thousand lifetimes,” Cook said. “Yet, there’s people dying of starvation every day. The money is out there to help these people but it doesn’t happen because of greed and the need for power. But who’s to say, unless you were in a position of power, what your choice would be?”
“Writing this album I never thought about my political agenda,” Dyck said.
“But every day that goes by I get more angry and more frustrated. It’s frustrating to see humanity running at a brick wall and only changing at the last second or even after disaster strikes.”
To say there is a lot of hype surrounding Anciients’ sophomore album Voice of the Void would be an understatement.
Two of the tracks have premiered on Billboard’s website, and many of the vinyl pre-sales (via Bandcamp or label Season of Mist) are already sold out.
Known for their unexpected progressive twists and turns, Anciients have refined their structures on Voice of the Void.
With the help of producer and “best bud” Jesse Gander (who also handled Heart of Oak), Anciients have created a must-hear record that shakes you to the very core without ever being jarring.
“I told this to Kenny a bunch of times while we were driving, ‘It’s like a smooth rock album,’ ” Dyck said, fully aware of the irony. “You’re like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s totally what it should do.’ “
“There’s no need for pressure,” Cook said about expectations. “It’s all about us, really. If it’s something we don’t like to play, there’s no point.”