Anciients were at the forefront of Canadian metal music after the release of their second album Voice of the Void. They struck out on tours with the likes of Gorguts and Goatwhore, and were riding high for their next musical career move. Unfortunately, that next career move turned out to be an eight year stretch between full length albums.
Thankfully, they've decided to come back — eight years in the making, Beyond the Reach of the Sun sees the band further flexing their creative muscles at what they do best. It's a welcome return from a band still at the top of their game.
Anciients are first and foremost a progressive metal band, and they've decided to embrace that fully on Beyond the Reach of the Sun. All the songs either have extended instrumental introductions or acoustic openings that branch out into elaborate arrangements. They're pulling no punches this time around, pushing these songs as creatively far as they can go. This is none more evident than on "Melt the Crown," which traverses Opeth-style extreme metal to full-on Thin Lizzy worship by song's end.
Kenny Cook, for the first time, is solely responsible for vocal duties on the album. The band doesn't miss a beat however, as his melodic, clean singing and harsh guttural vocals complement each other well and provide much needed balance throughout. The strongest performance on the record is opener "Forbidden Sanctuary," which features not only some of the band's best harmonies but also some punishingly harsh vocals during the song's climatic moments.
And while Beyond the Reach of the Sun is a largely excellent return, it does tend to replay a few too many of the band's familiar strengths. For an album eight years in the making, perhaps too many of these songs are akin to previous material. While some fresh moves would've been appreciated, Beyond the Reach of the Sun is a solid record from a band with little to prove.