01. Birth Of The Nephalem
02. Fouled Sanctity
03. Nemesis Confession
04. Maiden Of Anguish
05. Seven Tombs
06. The Blackened Temple
07. Not Even Death
08. The Way Of Ancients
Video game lore told through melodic black metal.
The Way Of Ancients is the sophomore album of American five-piece Volcandra. The lyrics here are based on the dark fantasy video game series Diablo. While I myself have no knowledge about this video game, after researching names referenced in the lyrics like “Nephalem”, “Queen of the Succubi”, “Zakarum”, and “Cain the Elder”, the connection to Diablo became quite obvious. So, while Volcandra don’t get originality points for inventing their own mythology, it’s still a quite original idea to put a video game series to music.
The vocals are pretty entertaining, utilizing both blackened rasps and more guttural growls. It’s an unusual sensation to hear power-metal-esque fantasy storytelling delivered by harsh vocals, but, to be honest, I didn’t really listen too closely to the lyrics. The rasps blend into the background as my ears focus on the true highlight of the album: the guitar-work. The guitarists certainly are skilled musicians, showcasing some great melodic guitar solos and riffs that blend elements of black metal, thrash, and melodic death metal into one.
After a tension-building, tranquil intro, the rest of the album adopts a rather consistently fast pace throughout. While the energy is at first addicting, it also wears out the listener once one reaches the fourth track. The fifth song, “Seven Tombs”, marks again a highlight in the tracklist, with a catchy chorus supported by backing crew shouts and with a nicely blistering guitar solo. However, the next few songs, while demonstrating capable musicianship, aren’t as engaging as the first couple of tracks. Still, The Way Of Ancients concludes with a strong title track. The first four minutes have some catchy Viking folk energy. Then, the track dives into a calm section of acoustic guitar, before emerging once more with triumphant melodies. “The Way Of Ancients” ends in a haunting way, as one can faintly hear the guitar riff from the intro track again, before the musicianship fades to silence.
In conclusion, Volcandra’s The Way Of Ancients is a good example of energetic, melodic black metal. And, while the songwriting might not be consistently engaging, there are enough highlights strewn across the tracklist to provide a satisfying listening experience for fans of lightning-fast riffs and high fantasy storytelling.
 | Written on 04.03.2024 by The sign of good music is the ability to both convey and trigger emotion. |