Style: Death metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals, mostly harsh)
Recommended for fans of: Blood Incantation, Death, Morbid Angel
Country: Massachusetts, United States
Release date: 18 April 2025
Although the old school death metal revival has been going on for years, what’s with the recent spotlight? Offering a modern take on a classic sound, OSDM-steeped releases from proggier bands like Tomb Mold and Horrendous have seen huge underground acclaim. And Blood Incantation launched out of the underground altogether last year, with Absolute Elsewhere appearing indiscriminately on just about every year-end list. Backed primarily by Millennials and Gen Zers with no connection to the original acts, nostalgia doesn’t explain the recent explosion—it’s not the same force that sends our parents in droves to community amphitheaters to watch mediocre tribute bands play the same few classic rock songs. Maybe the renewed interest is a reaction against what some see as an increasingly sterile progressive music scene. That is, a counter to surgically precise, rigidly technical, overproduced music that’s lost its soul (hey, I like that kind of music). It could be a desire to recapture and build upon the blatantly badass sonic aesthetic of late ‘80s and early ‘90s death metal—style is circular after all, and what goes out of fashion often returns.
Whatever the cause, the momentum behind this scene continues to build, and another band has joined the fray. With their debut LP Ego Dissolution, Massachusetts-based Ancient Death announce their arrival in a concise thirty-five-minute statement. Drawing clear inspiration from Blood Incantation, as well as the stalwarts of the early Florida death metal scene, these newcomers offer OSDM with a psychedelic bend and a slight progressive tinge. With OSDM in vogue among the metal underground, will the band join the new crop of old-school elite?
Ego Dissolution could easily be mistaken for a late ‘80s release. The production, although warm and clear, isn’t sanded down and coated in lacquer—its surface is rough enough to let the album’s big riffs scrape the ears. Meanwhile, much of the instrumentation runs through the OSDM playbook. Most tracks have some combination of frenzied, technical-but-not-”tech” riffing; heavy, mid-paced segments overlaid with early Schuldiner-esque vocals; and ripping guitar solos, but not in the virtuosic, guitar-nerd type of way. Drummer Derek Malone Moniz isn’t afraid to slow things down and compliment blasting with groovy kick-drum patterns, and an active bass guitar growls beneath it all. “Breaking the Barriers of Hope” and “Unspoken Oath” are the record’s most straightforward ass-kickers, each offering a clinic in effective death metal execution.
Ancient Death’s psychedelic and progressive elements appear mostly through slower passages that incorporate grainy synths, mellow guitars, and, on occasion, ethereal cleans provided by bass guitarist Jasmine Alexander. Rather than take us on full Tangerine Dream or Floydian detours, à la Blood Incantation’s latest album, these passages are shorter and integrated more naturally into the tracks. The effect is tremendous, adding dimension to the music and making the streamlined death metal sections hit even harder. The atmospheric bridge in the middle of the ripping title track makes the track feel massive and complete; and the first half of “Breathe – Transcend” is simply spellbinding, a chilled-out swirl of restrained guitars, locked-in rhythms, and cavernous growls complimented by Alexander’s celestial singing. For a full dose of psychedelic atmosphere, instrumental track “Journey to the Inner Soul” appears to be Ancient Death’s trippier, less technical response to Death’s famed “Cosmic Sea.” Each time the band ventures beyond the core death metal sound, they do so tastefully, the passages never sounding forced or out of place.
To be sure, Ego Dissolution isn’t particularly inventive. Ancient Death take no issue in putting their influences out there for all to see. The album strives by reining these influences in and spinning them into a diverse, coherent set of tracks with no weak points. By the same token, there’s nothing that takes the album over the top: Ego Dissolution doesn’t quite have the innovation or depth to be monumental, and it doesn’t need to. Of course, I’d love to see Ancient Death push their sound further and carve out more of an identity in future releases—they certainly have the requisite talent and innate feel for songwriting—but as far as debuts go, it’s remarkably complete.
Ultimately, Ego Dissolution is a resounding success. Ancient Death package an abundance of influences, along with some character of their own, into a cohesive work that’s as musically compelling as it is plainly fun. Front to back, the album is rock solid and its short runtime flies by, urging you to go right back to the start for another run. Just one album in, Ancient Death already sit notably among the new school of old school.
Recommended tracks: Ego Dissolution, Breaking the Barriers of Hope, Unspoken Oath, Breathe – Transcend (Into the Glowing Streams of Forever)
You may also like: Tomb Mold, Horrendous, Undeath, Barn, Bedsore
Final verdict: 7.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Profound Lore Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
Ancient Death is:
– Jasmine Alexander (bass and vocals)
– Ray Brouwer (guitars)
– Jerry Witunsky (guitars and vocals)
– Derek Malone Moniz (drums)
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