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When: Sept. 27, 8 p.m.
Where: Rickshaw Theatre, 254 E. Hastings St.
Tickets/info: rickshawtheatre.com
Vancouver metal quartet Anciients releases Beyond the Reach of the Sun this weekend on France’s tastemaking and trail-blazing Season of Mist label. It’s the first new music from the band since its 2016 release Voice of the Void won the 2018 Juno for metal/hard music album of the year. They are a shoe-in to be nominated again in that category.
Guitarist and lead singer Kenny Cook says the new music showcases an older, wiser and battle-scarred band.
The group has certainly weathered group and individual challenges over the past eight years to arrive where it is today with a revamped lineup of Cook, guitarist Brock MacInnes, bassist Rory O’Brien and drummer Mike Hannay.
“Right before the recording of Voice of the Void, our first child was born and my wife experienced a rare heart failure that sometimes happens with giving birth,” said Cook. “We spent three months in the hospital unsure if she was going to make it or not, and that lead to a long period of inactivity to deal with what became a priority for the next four years. Obviously, there was no other choice to make.”
During that time, Cook’s songwriting partner Chris Dyck left the band and previous member Brock MacInnes rejoined. Cook and MacInnes had previously played in a Roky Erickson/Southern rock cover band.
“We started booking gigs, getting ready to go back out on the road for extended periods and get the band back out there and COVID hit,” he said. “That meant the timeline of bullshit that went down in our camp got extended even further. I can happily say that things are almost fully recovered, thus we are making music again.”
Beyond the Reach of the Sun certainly showcases the group’s distinct brand of progressive and doom riffing, melodic and growled vocals and fantasy storytelling. Songs such as the lengthy opener Forbidden Sanctuary, thrashing Cloak of The Vast and Black and psychedelic instrumental Candescence are instant Anciients classics.
The group often draws comparisons to such genre heavyweights as Mastodon and Opeth. Beyond the Reach of the Sun pretty much eclipses the latest records by both of those acts. Anciients is most definitely back in action.
“Due to circumstances outside our control, we missed a very important block of time to tour and expand the recognition of our band following the additional exposure of winning the Juno,” he said. “But we did some shows last year, including the 10th anniversary celebration of our debut Heart of Oak, that all went really, really well. Now with health situations almost back to normal and the new album landing, we are looking at taking extended time out on the road and rebuilding.”
There certainly is a sense that this is a rebirth for the band, which appears to have a dedicated fan base who were willing to wait it out for new music. Before the arrival of the new album, Anciients re-recorded some fan favourites with Jesse Gander and Recorders in Vancouver.
First up was Raise the Sun from Heart of Oak, followed by Built to Die from 2011s Snakebeard EP. The new versions with the present lineup stoked the fire for the new album. The lead single from Beyond the Reach of the Sun, titled Melt the Crown, dropped in May.
The first comment on the band’s YouTube page pretty much sums up the reviews, as @deluge71 writes: “Great song. So good to have these guys back, after 8 long years.” Cook can’t say enough about Anciients’ devoted fan base and label.
“Season of Mist are amazing and Gordon at the label has always had our back, supporting us through all the challenges,” he said. “The crowds at recent concerts have been amazing, and we have lots of plans coming to get in front of more of them.”
As to whether the new passage of time and new lineup has changed Anciients’ sound at all, the singer says Beyond the Reach of the Sun is a synthesis of what came before.
“It’s my first time handling all of the lyrics which was daunting, but I think the stories indirectly reflect a lot of the struggles that have been going on in my life,” he said. “The rock ‘n’ roll side of our sound is more up front and we’ve added a lot more space into the songs, as well as adding synths and keys with Justin from Three Inches of Blood playing on about half the record.”
This addition to the Anciients sound is so natural that one can only hope that the group might add a keyboardist to the line up on some future tour. Naturally, this depends on what kinds of touring presents itself moving forward.
For now, Cook hopes that the fun the band had making Beyond the Reach of the Sun shines through listener’s speakers.
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