Ancient Rites - The Diabolical Serenades
Review: Securely in the death metal genre with fast, expansive riffs and blast choruses, Ancient Rites make a technology of old school riffing modified into death metal structures in the featureless and abstract landscape of the style. There is nothing dramatically new; it does not matter much. Both beauty and pure flaw combine to make this release irksome, tempting and intriguing.
The obvious deficiency is the drumming; despite there being two photos and listings for the drummer, the beats on here resemble machine origin in sound and programming, with descending repetition and precision rolls cutting in for fill time. Standard rock beats accelerated with some electronica influence in fill technique paces the album, with occasional bloodlust pounding that integrates well with the chaotic drive. But in all, mechanical.
Guitars are fast, not as much rhythmic-counteraction fast as Deicide is, but shred fast, with high iteration speed and a consequent tearing sound as the music climbs over the primitive drumming. The strength of the album is the guitar work, with speed and terror propelling nimble fingers through reconfiguration of the previously discovered. Nearly constant strumming speed alters timbre while whipping chord change patternings declare space and enforce narrative. As vocals sear through a dead-even rhythm delivery of antagonistic diatribe, the swarming mass of sound from chaotic and recombinant guitar riffs births new life in this driving and energetic work.