| 350gsm Gatefold Jacket with inside flooded in yellow and matt varnish, 140g Black Vinyl.
Drowning the Light has long been a guiding force in raw, atmospheric black metal, and The Blood of the Ancients is yet another chapter in Azgorh’s relentless output. Bathed in melancholic grandeur and drenched in nocturnal sorrow, the album encapsulates the essence of the band’s signature style—haunting melodies, piercing shrieks, and an overwhelming sense of loss and defiance.
From the ethereal opening of So Far from Home, a brief instrumental that sets the stage for the album’s spectral journey, the listener is drawn into a world where triumphant despair and nocturnal majesty reign supreme. Tracks like Night of Neverending Turmoil and Lunar Reflection in Blood (Vampires of the Old) embrace a relentless, storm-driven assault, while Residing in a Kingdom Now Lost offers a solemn moment of respite, its Gregorian-like chants adding an air of solemn reverence. The interplay between tremolo-picked guitar lines and distant, icy synths crafts a hypnotic experience that lingers in the mind like a lingering specter.
Despite its raw production, which only enhances the cavernous nature of the sound, the songwriting remains deeply evocative. Servant of an Unholy Plague stands out as one of the album’s most aggressive moments, driven by a sinister riff that spirals into the abyss, while The Darkness is the Guiding Light builds a slow-burning, melancholic atmosphere that gradually pulls the listener into its depths. Closing with Victory in Sight, a rare moment of solemn triumph, the album fades into the cold void, leaving behind an aura of tragic finality.
While The Blood of the Ancients doesn’t stray far from the path Drowning the Light has forged, it is a testament to the project’s unwavering vision. A must-listen for devotees of the underground, it stands as a chilling reminder of why Azgorh’s work continues to cast a long shadow over the realm of depressive, atmospheric black metal.
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