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Melodeath Metal: Dawn of Existence - Ancient Arts (2023)


 
71 / 100
A fantasy-charged blend of melodic death and black metal, Ancient Arts balances tremolo riffs, synth flourishes, and varied vocal styles for an epic yet occasionally uneven journey. 
Melodic death metal was one of my earliest gateways into death metal and eventually led me to its angelic sibling, power metal. Unfortunately, growling vocals have become a kind of phantom for me—despite listening to almost every metal genre, I struggle to truly enjoy them lately. The same goes for Ancient Arts by Dawn of Existence.

As the aggressive edge of power metal, this band delivers exactly what you'd expect: fantasy-driven themes, enhanced by melodic guitars and prominent synths. Astor doesn’t rely solely on growls either—there’s a gravelly vocal style at times, paired with tremolo-picked riffs and blast beats, especially on occultic tracks like "Satan Spacelord" and "Meet Me at the Stake", which reminded me a lot of Children of Bodom. Still, the crown clearly belongs to "Škoda 14" as the blackest show here.

Elsewhere, the album leans more toward straightforward melodeath, with "Marble Garden" as the brightest or even happiest song because of its strongest synths parts. And when they reach "Toe Up," the band truly rises their toes into the sky with excellent guitar solos and pummeling drums at the end.

I guess I ended up mentioning almost every track, lol. That’s because "The Hierophant" and "Tides" feel like a unit to me—a sorrowful stretch of heaviness, with deep growls and brute-force drumming that gives off a strong death/doom vibe. Sadly, "Mystic Serpent" felt off a bit. The robotic voice addition make it sounds futuristic than divine or mythical, clashing with the album’s vibes and even denying the feeling evoked by its cover art.

In the end, I do appreciate this release but my excitement isn’t quite as strong as it was with Meadow’s End’s Sojourn. Like I said, "Škoda 14" is the highlight here. And even though I love death/doom, I’d probably place "The Hierophant" and "Tides" into a separate playlist.

[The review also posted on Metal Archives.]
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