ANCIENT DAYS ~ DEVIL'S NIGHT ... review

Indiana's Ancient Days have been knocking around the scene for a while now and in that time they have evolved a lot, the bands first album "Sacrificial Knife" was a raw and untamed mix of bluesy heavy psych and proto-doom metal that although slightly naïve in places showed plenty of promise, their next album, "The End", was just as raw and undisciplined but saw the band toying with a slightly more Sabbathian dynamics. This was followed by the self-titled "Ancient Days" an album that saw the band jamming dynamics of a more low, slow and heavy stoner doom nature. The better production values, stronger song writing and bigger arrangements of following album "Black Magic Nights" saw Ancient Days starting to get themselves noticed in all the right quarters but it was its follow up "Sign of the Times" that really made people sit up and listen, its swathes of textured keyboards and its dark guitar tones giving its songs a doomic majesty that was somewhat lacking on previous efforts. This month the band release their sixth album "Devil's Night" an album that sees Ancient Days putting all their doomic eggs in one basket and hitting their listeners with everything they've learnt along the way and then some!

Title track "Devil's Night" begins its journey with sampled narrative of a priest attempting to cast out a demon then erupts into a achingly low slow Sabbathian guitar refrain enhanced by swathes of atmospheric keyboards and anchored by booming bass and thunderous drumming. Over this menacing wave of dankness vocals are delivered in a semi spoken almost sermon like manner, a trick that adds an extra level of doomic menace to its already pretty menacing dynamic and ramps up its overall impact to an eleven out of ten. Fans of 70's UK cult heroes Atomic Rooster will find much to enjoy about next track "Watch Them as They Die", its Vincent Crane like keyboard flourishes are at the heart of everything that is good about this song and the guitar work is worthy of the great late John Du Cann, as for that matter are the vocals. "Lucifer Morning Star (Devil's Night 2)" sees Ancient Days donning their cowls for some straight down the line atmospheric trad doom with lyrical themes more in keeping with Dennis Wheatley than Lovecraft or Poe while "The Shape" sees the band jamming a groove that starts life low slow and heavy but then later evolves into something more akin to Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats or something by one of the bands from the Italian acid doom/scuzz scene. Up next is  "I Am Your Nightmare" an enthralling and highly enjoyable blending of stoner/hard rock and proto doom in its first half and a blues tinted heavy psych/doom lament in it second. Finally we arrive at "Face of Fire/ Devil Rides Out" here we not only find the band paying homage two classic horror movies (the latter of which was an adaption of a Dennis Wheatley novel) but also performing at the height of their powers, powerful vocals soaring mournfully over a backdrop of solid tight bass and drum groove enhanced by searing bluesy guitar solos and swooning keyboards, essential listening for anyone with a love of  good doom.

If cult horror movies and late 50's occult novels are your thing AND you have a love of  heavy music with its feet planted in the unconsecrated soils of both traditional and proto doom then you just cannot go wrong by giving Ancient Days "Devil's Night" a place in your music collection, it DOOMS!

Check it out .... 

© 2023 Frazer Jones