Artist: Ancient VVisdom
Title: A Godlike Inferno
Type: Album
Label: Shinebox Recordings

“We are the devil’s blues, folk and rock n roll” is how Ancient VVisdom’s (note two Vs, not one W) frontman describes the band’s sound. It’s certainly got character. On the face of it, “A Godlike Inferno” is largely a set of simple, cleanly delivered acoustic songs, but again I’ll go with the band’s claim that numerous extras lead to their music being infused with a “deeper ethereal quality”. Add to that an interest in the occult and Satanism, and it’s an intriguing package.

It wouldn’t work if there wasn’t quality in the song-writing and structures, and there is. I can’t go any further without making a comparison which struck me from the beginning. There’s so much similarity with Tiamat in this work that it slapped me in the face. The songs are strong, but while classic have a hippy-trippy element to them. “Necessary Evil” is just one track which has that haunting Tiamat ambiance. It’s at the same time lovely and steely. The singer moreover sounds just like Johan Edlund. But this isn’t a clone of another band’s work. The point I’m really making here is that you don’t have to be extreme to make an impact. Great melodies and subtle changes of mood do the trick, and there’s plenty of both. Smooth, dreamy and at times very dark – “A Godlike Inferno” has all these qualities. Meanwhile the percussion quietly imposes itself on proceedings, dictating that steady pace and control. In fact I’m struggling to think of an album with better control at all levels than this one. I’m reminded here of the later work of the Beatles. Everything’s co-ordinated without sacrificing on imagination. It’s hypnotic. There are decent rock songs like “Forever Tonight”, while “Lost Civilization” has the air of a protest song from the 1960s. In the quietness there’s the menace, none more so than on the final, acoustically-driven track “Children of the Wasteland”. Whispery in its nature like Canned Heat’s classic “Going Up the Country”, it’s typically dark and sinister in its lyrics. This is a fascinating collection of songs.

What I like about “A Godlike Inferno” is that the band has followed their instincts and created a pearl by adding sophistication to simplicity. I look forward to hearing more from Ancient VVisdom.

http://www.myspace.com/ancientvvisdom

http://www.shinebox-recordings.com

Andrew Doherty

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