I do like getting promos from Femme Metal as they have the uncanny knack of showcasing bands that I have not heard before but quickly find myself liking. Norwegian group Ancestral Legacy are no exception to this rule and although they have various demos, a previous album and DVD to their name and have been going since 2000 I do not think I have had the pleasure of hearing them before. Apparently before this time they had the rather chilly name Permafrost and they do have tendencies even now to bring a cold shiver down the listener’s spine as musically they are certainly not all sweetness and light. Apparently since this album was recorded the female vocalist Elin Anita Omholt has had to leave the band due to health reasons, which is a shame both due to the circumstances and also because her performance is very good. The driving force apparently behind these parts, will in the future be Mexican lass Isadora Cortina and yes that pun could not be overlooked even if due to her not being on this album it will be the last mention of her until the furry dice is hung out for the next album.
As we go into the really gothic sounding guitar shards of ‘Out of the Dark And Into The Night’ and encounter Elin’s fragrant vocals we are suddenly surprised at the entrance of male vocalist Eddie. He growls out ‘You’re a fucking liar’ with such conviction you are really surprised at his beastly contrast to the feminine parts. To be fair, neither singer is particularly ‘the lead’ as we discover when the album progresses; they both play a major part in things. The other noticeable thing is that this is not easy to plonk in a genre frame as at times we are bordering on parts that are close to black metal and death and doom and gothic and, well bits of all of them. It is a pretty versatile listen but most importantly the songs are strong and control of melody is very well handled. The mix by Knut Magne Valle who has done the duties for the likes of Arcturus, Mayhem and Rotting Christ in the past no doubt helps enforce the ferocity which really goes for the throat with Eddies bite on second number ‘Separate Worlds’ but for me it’s the harmonious force of Erin’s voice that really enchants me. The beautiful ending to this number which at first sounds like it could be a different song is one of the highlights of the album. I couldn’t really think of any other band to particularly say this reminds me of, there’s a bit of Orphanage perhaps and vocally a bit of Brave (another great band on the same label) but they keep things quite unique here.
I am missing out as I do not have the lyric book with the promo. Apparently no less than eight lyricists were involved and these unfold like the titular diary in line with the cover concept. Having given you an idea of what to expect here it’s not one of those albums that necessitates a track by track dissection. It is a quite lengthy listen clocking in at 56 minutes and the ten tracks unravel like the aforementioned story, each with something new and unique to enchant the listener with. Apparently dates are planned and there are songs from the session already planned for 2011 recording with the new singer. It’s certainly something I will be keeping a look out for myself!
http://www.myspace.com/ancestrallegacy
http://www.ancestrallegacy.com
