Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

When Anciients learned they’d won the 2018 JUNO for Metal/Hard Rock, the hard-hitting Canucks had just woken up in Vienna with eyes still caked in sludge after another blazing show on their headlining tour of Europe. The road to their new album has been longer and harder than anyone could’ve expected. But after six years of soul searching in the Canadian wilderness, at long last, the band have returned to the summit of progressive metal with the heavy, heady and heartfelt Beyond the Reach of the Sun.

“A release that lives up to the hype and exceeds expectations” Blabbermouth continues. “Anciients have come back in a big way”. 

Beyond the Reach of the Sun is released, Friday, August 30th, and you can hear all 10 mind-opening songs today by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel. 

Order & Stream at https://orcd.co/anciientsbeyondthereachofthesun

Ask any hard rock enthusiast about Anciients and their shock and awe might lead you to believe they were describing Big Foot. The band left a sizable imprint on the metal scene after just two albums, but then seemingly disappeared without a trace. So what led them to go into hibernation?

“Basically, right after Voice of the Void was recorded my wife had our first kid”, says Kenny Cook, who on top of vocal and guitar duties handles the bulk of the songwriting. “She ended up having heart complications and almost died”. Everyone is happy and healthy now, but caring for his wife and new baby put a lot of stress on the typically laid-back front man’s mountainous shoulders. “It was a bit of a road”.

Beyond the Reach of the Sun also emerges from the shadows. The album follows the story of a society that’s enslaved by evil forces from an alternate dimension. “A distant memory of hope“, Cook sings on its epic, eight-minute opener. His cleans gently sail amidst cosmic synth smears, only to dig deep into the pit of his death growl as “Forbidden Sanctuary” meets a fiery end of blast beats and face-melting chugs. “Die by the sword / Or be reborn“. 

As if the fate of the universe wasn’t enough weight for one metalhead to carry, Cook’s headspace became clouded by doubt while trying to carry the bulk of the songwriting and lyric duties in relative isolation after he and his family left Vancouver for small-town Columbia-Shuswap. “Cloak of the Vast and Black” is about mental illness and living under the veil of depression. “These tired eyes won’t rest / Must find a path to escape”. The opening guitars are so dimmed with reverb that even the leads twist and turn as if trying to navigate maze-like cave tunnels.

But like the high beams of a monster truck, Anciients found a way to barrel out of the darkness, even when the band suddenly found themselves in need of a new bass player right as they were all set to hunker down at Rain City Recorders. Fortunately, Justin Hagberg from 3 Inches of Blood – whose keyboard explodes into a crescendo of heady colors on the otherwise crushing “Is It Your God” – introduced them to Bushwhackers sure-handed bassist Rory O’Brien. 

“We got lucky and Rory saved our asses at the last minute”, Cook says. By the time “Cloak of the Vast and Black” slides off into the ether, O’Brien is locked into such a massive flow state with the steady thump of drummer Mike Hannay that Anciients sound like pre-historic giants who’ve returned to roam the earth. 

One thing has always been crystal clear though about Anciients: these guys shred. On the album’s lead single, Cook and new axe man Brock MacInnes (Dead Quiet) fire up not one, not two, but three guitar solos. But Beyond the Reach of the Sun also led the band to discover fresh springs of inspiration. They concentrated on making these songs more dynamic while allowing them more room to breath. “This album has a lot more of our rock side”, Cook says. Each of the solos on “Melt the Crown” come with their own special flavor, guiding us through a field of filigreed folk, then a turn toward Allman Brothers blues before leaping into a psychedelic reverie that’s like opening the door into your mind’s eye.

In the end, Beyond the Reach of the Sun is a testament to Anciients’ perseverance  “At its core, this album is all about overcoming adversity in order to seek enlightenment”, Cook says. By the time we reach the end of the tracklist, the shadowy galactic forces have been vanquished, though don’t expect a big kumbaya during the last song. After a bluesy guitar intro unravels like a cry in the dark, “In the Absence of Wisdom” concludes with flaming hammer-ons that are fanned higher and higher by thunderous toms. “We are now the demons”, Cook warns, “Following the footsteps / Of the ones we hate”. He sounds heavier than ever, but it’s a prophecy from a band that’s lived to tell the tale.

“The hiatus is over” Anciients says. “We’re ready to hit it hard”.

More Advanced Praise for Beyond the Reach of the Sun

“It’s a welcome return from a band still at the top of their game” – Exclaim!

“A pure hit, a solid 10/10 and will no doubt be summiting many people’s album of the year lists” – Everything is Noise

“Imagine the strongest moments of Voice Of The Void (“Ibex Eye”) and Heart Of Oak (“Raise the Sun”) and you’ll have an idea of what Beyond The Reach Of The Sun is like: nearly an hour of top-notch progressive metal” – Heavy Music HQ (Album of the Week)

“Every note seems calculated, and each track interconnected, but yet the album breathes, and deeply. This is indeed a new pinnacle of Progressive Metal, and the band carries that flag high” – Metal Temple (10/10)

“Anciients are probably the most talented prog band out there” – Metal Bite (10/10)

Tracklist
1. Forbidden Sanctuary (8:16)
2. Despoiled (5:19)
3. Is It Your God (7:07)
4. Melt the Crown (7:08) [WATCH]
5. Cloak of the Vast and Black (6:20) [WATCH]
6. Celestial Tyrant (5:52)
7.Beyond Our Minds (4:12)
8. The Torch (4:13)
9. Candescence (4:10)
10. In the Absence of Wisdom (6:35) [WATCH]

Now that their highly-anticipated third album is finally here in all its glowing glory, Anciients are ready to hit the road hard and fast.

This fall, the progressive metal band will bring Beyond the Reach of the Sun to cities across Western and Central Canada. Anciients will kick things off with three special record release shows in their hometown of Vancouver before setting out with their fellow Canucks Bison on a heavy and heady co-headlining tour of Western Canada.

“We’ve been great friends with the dudes from Bison for nearly two decades”, Cook says. “Anciients has done one-off shows with Bison throughout the years, but this is the first time we’ve toured together. We’re super excited to hit the road with them. I can guarantee these shows will crush!”

Beyond the Reach of the Sun Record Release Shows

September 20 – Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar with Fearbirds and Black Thunder [TICKETS]
September 21 – Nanaimo, BC @ The Queens with Fearbirds and Black Thunder [TICKETS]
September 27 – Vancouver, BC @ The Rickshaw Theatre with Waingro, Bloodrhine and Empress [TICKETS]

Beyond the Reach of the Sun Western Canada Co-Headlining Tour 2024

October 10 – Kamloops, BC @ Blue Grotto [TICKETS]
October 11 – Vernon, BC @ BBDBS [TICKETS]
October 12 – Revelstoke, BC @ The Last Drop [TICKETS]
October 15 – Calgary, AB @ Dickens [TICKETS]
October 16 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Temple [TICKETS]
October 17 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange [TICKETS]
October 18 – Winnipeg, MB @ Side Stage [TICKETS]
October 19 – Saskatoon, SK @ Black Cat Tavern [TICKETS]
October 25 – Nelson, BC @ The Royal [TICKETS]
October 26 – Kelown, BC @ Jacknife Brewing [TICKETS]

It’s been a rough handful of years for British Columbia-based extremity-laced progressive rockers, Anciients. When the quartet unleashed their Voice of the Void album in 2016, the world appeared to be their oyster and things seemed ripe for the picking. They were coming off the success of their Heart of Oak debut from 2013, its ascendancy due in large part to a collective uptick in interest for involved, forward-thinking music. The public had moved beyond toe-dipping and tire-kicking, and were instead doing headfirst dives into exploring the likes of Opeth, Mastodon, Baroness, The Ocean, Intronaut and others who originally hailed from the extreme music underground, but had since grown, matured and scrubbed behind their ears to include heaping and healthy chunks from the outskirts of their record collections and influence pools.  

The Band That Auto-Correct Loves to Fuck With™ shared stages with everyone from High on Fire and Goatwhore to Boris and Lamb of God, were in the midst of a European tour when they discovered they were JUNO Award (Canadian Grammy equivalent) winners in the heavy metal/hard rock category. The world was ready to accept Anciients into its welcoming arms. Anciients was gearing up to employ takeover methods, specifically their brand of thunderous rhythms and labyrinthine riffing bolstered by a road warrior mentality. And then, the momentum petered out and the band seemingly fell off the face of the earth.  

Today, Anciients are ready and poised to resume their spirited quest for heavy metal paramountcy. There’s no doubt the band is back and with a stunning and beautiful collection of ten songs on offer in the form of new and third album, Beyond the Reach of the Sun, they are positioning to reestablish themselves as a dominant force for those who love windmilling their tresses around thoughtful tempo changes, complex harmonic layers and driving power chord shifting. But what the hell happened and where did they disappear to?

“Basically,” explains guitarist/vocalist Kenny Cook, “right before Voice of the Void was recorded, my wife had our first kid. She ended up having heart complications and almost passed away from it. We recorded the last record and once it came out, I was kind of just focusing on her, dealing with her health issues and keeping that in check. I wasn’t at the stage where I could be gone for half a year, especially with a new kid. Long story short, she’s happy and healthy now, but dealing with family issues was the main priority. It was a bit of a road.”

Adding to that bit of Anciients camp turmoil, guitarist/co-vocalist/co-founding member, Chris Dyck and the band parted ways in January of 2017. This left a gaping lineup hole at an inopportune juncture in the band’s timeline. Not only did Cook have to deal with the absence of his long-term song and lyric writing partner, but Dyck was also someone he had been splitting vocal duties with since the pair formed the band in 2009. And then, while helping his wife with her recovery, raising their new born and “because we wanted to raise our son in a small town environment,” the Cook family uprooted to Columbia-Shuswap four hours east of the Vancouver area, where drummer Mike Hannay, Brock MacInnes (Dyck’s replacement) and brand spanking new bassist Rory O’Brien still reside.

“We knew Brock from other bands he’d been in and we knew he’d be a great fit,” explains Cook. “He actually filled in for Chris on a tour we did back in 2015. As far as the vocals, I just found myself picking up the slack on both ends. It felt somewhat natural, it was definitely different. Doing the lyrics myself for the first time was somewhat daunting, but it was also something done out of necessity. But even when Chris was in the band I handled 80-90% of the vocals anyway, so it didn’t change all that much.”  

Then, that whole COVID-19 thing you probably heard about once or twice hit in 2020 and put another restraining bolt on Anciients’ activity, especially touring as the Canadians found themselves dealing with stricter travel restrictions and mandates than many other countries; most notably, not being able to cross the border for almost two years. Once the dust settled, Cook had to adjust to being the lone vocalist and how that impacted the material he was writing while navigating being creative with distance between Anciients’ members for the first time. Not a biggie, as in-person writing sessions are more of a rarity these days, but because of the time elapsed since Voices of the Void, things/interests/influences changed and the band ended up scrapping half of an album’s worth of material and starting fresh. When they put their heads down at the end of 2021 with the focus being Beyond the Reach of the Sun, what was revealed a year later was more streamlined and slithery, more chest-thumpingly direct, more epic and triumphant sounding. Riffs come in explosive layered packets. Leads, harmonies and melodies are more on par with wind-tussled mountain tops instead of sweaty bar shows and the band moves with finely honed, martial accuracy as conducted by Hannay’s rocket-in-the-pocket staccato swing and accents.  

Songs like “The Torch” blaze with the shirtless glisten of ‘70s stadium rock power. “Cloak of the Vast and Black” swirls and whirls with a combination of hardcore intensity, grunge groove and expansive six-string parries. “In the Absence of Wisdom” is a hurricane-sized maelstrom of classic and prog rock elevated to grandiosity by a return to their growling sludge/death early years as the song/album concludes. The album’s first single, “Melt the Crown” mixes cues from legendary fellow hosers Rush and Harlequin, turn-of-the-millennium post-metal and the most psychedelic corners of the Rise Above Records roster.

“The new record has a lot more of our rock side,” Cook offers, “and leans towards those elements of our sound and personalities, whereas Voice of the Void was pretty crushing all the way through. With the new material we’ve tried to add more dynamics to the music and give the songs more room to breathe.”  

Album opener “Forbidden Sanctuary” is the soundtrack to exploration, of new worlds and sonic arrangement as sine-wave guitars pull from vintage Mercyful Fate covens and Krautrock communes with synths opening up novel textural avenues, as they do on the ethereal wispiness and space rock/sci-fi soundscapes of the instrumental “Candescence.” Beyond the Reach of the Sun sees synths and keyboards making their first appearance on an Anciients record and were played by producer/mixer Jesse Gander and Justin Hagberg at the former’s Rain City Recorders studio. In addition to augmenting the album with his skill on the black and whites, Hagberg — a member of the recently reunited 3 Inches of Blood —  also helped Anciients navigate a significant last-minute hurdle, one that threatened to pull the reins back on their comeback roar.

“We lost our bass player literally a month before we were going in to record and were kind of up shit’s creek. Justin also plays in a band called Ritual Dictates with Rory and is the one who brought his name up.”

O’Brien, a former member of Vancouver’s Bushwhacker, was absolutely interested when approached by Anciients.  

“We got lucky and he saved our asses at the last minute.”  

Cook stepped up to the challenge of being the sole lyricist to drape Beyond the Reach of the Sun in deeply personal expressions of the inner turmoil, fear and isolation he’d experienced in himself and saw in others over the past few years. There were moments where he didn’t know whether loved ones were going to pull through and what life was going to look like were tragedy come to pass. Mental health and people living life without being able to see any light at the end of the tunnel became a very prevalent theme to tracks like “Despoiled” and “Beyond Our Minds.” And while the line that became the album’s title is taken from a David Attenborough-narrated Planet Earth documentary, it speaks more to the coming and going of despondency when one doesn’t know how dark the darkness is going to get, as in “Is It Your God,” which pulls from the manifestation of grief and how it can shatter belief systems.  

“That one is a little more personal to me and my situation,” Cook says somberly. “I had a good friend of mine from when I was younger pass away from cancer. His mother was super-religious and there were ideas taken from her questioning how could something like that happen to her when she had such a strong faith.”  

The title and themes of stripped away hope and piled on anguish and tumult were parlayed into the album’s spectacular cover art. Created by Adam Burke (Nightjar Illustrations), the drawing is part-pulp novel cover, part-Franzetta landscape, part-sci-fi movie poster and all a vast illustration one can easily lose themselves in while the record spins in the background.

“We gave him the concept and basic outline of how we wanted the cover to look and he took it to a whole new dimension. It turned out pretty wild!”

With all being said and done, Anciients have returned! They stand ready to ascend the prog metal ladder and get back to doing what they do best with a weighty and dense, but wholly accessible, album. It’s a collection of ten songs that possesses the ability to have those furiously banging heads also tapping into their power of self-reflection and contemplation to ponder the finality of existence, the value of life and their place in the universe.  

“Totally! We’re going to take as many of the opportunities that come to us. The hiatus is over and I think with the new members and everyone being on the same page we’re ready to get out there as soon as possible. We missed out on a huge block after the last record, so we’ve got to make up for lost time. Now that everyone is happy and healthy, we plan to hit it hard.”

Lineup
Kenny Cook (vocals, guitar)
Mike Hannay (drums) 
Brock MacInnes (rhythm guitar)
Rory O’Brien (bass)

Guest musicians
Justin Hagberg plays keyboard on “Forbidden Sanctuary”, “Is It Your God”, “Melt the Crown”, “Candescence”, “In the Absence of Wisdom”.

Jess Gander plays synths on “Candescence” and “Cloak of the Vast and Black”.

Recording studio
Rain City Recorders

Producer / sound engineer
Jesse Gander
Assisted by Szymon Wojciech

Mastering studio and engineer
Stu McKillop @ Rain City Mastering

Mixing studio and engineer
Jesse Gander Rain City Recorders

Cover artwork artist 
Adam Burke @ Nightjar Illustrations

Bio
Kevin Stewart-Panko

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