Rvbicon

It was the year 49 before Christ. Julius Caesar and his mercenaries transcended the Rubicon. While doing this, they crossed the point of no return and the Roman civil war began. Germany had not been invented yet. From this follows that it was not easy to say who was responsible for the outbreak of this belligerent conflict. However, the military operation must have been an overwhelming scenery, an archaic action like Hannibal's crossing of the Alps in 218 B. C.

The word "archaic" does not really fit the music on "Rubicon", because Ancient Rites perform pretty smooth songs which cannot be compared with their very early outbursts. Orchestral sequences are rather the norm than the exception. Yet it is also true that the album does not lack resilience and radiance. The guitars are not willing to give up the field to the keyboards and further "non-metallic" instruments. This leads to an inner strength of the material which prevents a bland or commercial appearance. The tracks boast with its maturity and sometimes nearly immaculate flow. Yet that's not all. Surely, one can lament that the material is too soft. But one can also recognise that the melodies on this album sound mostly great and never cheesy. Already the calm intro scores with an impressive melody line. Better still, its short tribute to the title track of "Fatherland", my favourite album of Ancient Rites, pleases me very much. "Templar", the first complete track, carries this melody forward, but now with metallic vehemence. Despite a (very good) short atmospheric, keyboard-dominated sequence, it is the most stormy song of the full-length and its pretty aggressive approach goes hand in hand with the lyrics which describe religiously motivated fights of the twelfth century.

By the way, the lyrical content is simply fantastic. Gunther Theys crosses nearly every European region and different periods of the last 2500 years. I like his descriptions which mostly avoid obvious statements. He is really an objective reporter, because he tells his stories with respect for its protagonists without losing the journalistic detachment. In alignment with his pan-European point of view, he uses different languages. The title track, for example, commences with a few German lines which are also prominently placed in the booklet and the proud closer "Brabantia" houses, of course, some Flemish or Dutch lines. Gunther does not do so for the first time, but it just fits his topics very well. "Ypres", whose lyrics deal naturally with the cruelty of the First World War, has a nearly philosophical touch. However, every text of the album makes clear that Gunther is fascinated by heroic deeds and tragic conflicts and I admit that I like his mindset.

Honestly speaking, the eight songs on the positions three to ten do not consistently keep the level of the very promising double strike ("Crusade" and "Templar") at the beginning. Every once in a while, the songs are nearly too opulent and the predictable integration of female vocals fails to add value to the material. Nonetheless, "Rubicon" marks an intelligently designed work which mirrors the ambitions of its spiritual fathers in a very suitable manner. Honestly speaking, I thought that seven musicians is too much of a good thing. But the Belgian horde shows that it has understood the meaning of teamwork and its tight interplay finds its equivalent in the warm and voluminous production. Maybe it is slightly too polished, but this remains an academic discussion in view of fantastic songs like the title track. This monument reveals many facets and its different sections mesh seamlessly with each other. Although the part with German lyrics and the remaining sequences seem to be taken from two different tunes, they form an homogeneous (and truly impressive) unit in the end. If I would have been the eighth musician of the band, I would also have opted for this song to give the album its name. (But I wasn't involved - for good reasons!)

Apart from my personal situation, I can recommend this history lesson to every metalhead that likes sophisticated art with dramatic, melancholic and powerful elements. It's no pristine black metal any more and sometimes I miss the "Death Messiah", but only jesters expected a return to "Diabolic Serenades". And with that said, enjoy this aromatic cocktail of power, traditional, marginally folkloric and symphonic black metal. Probably even Julius Caesar would have loved it.

In 2001 was released Dim Carcosa album, which took the musical process started on the previous Fatherland album even further. Further from the primitive past. If Dim Carcosa was too melodic and even soft for you, then Rubicon certainly is not your thing either. I liked Dim Carcosa very much, and the latest Ancient Rites album does not disappoint me.

During the years several line-up changes have emerged. After these changes, there are even three guitarists in the band. Luckily it does not mean constant solos but the riffs and melodies are well intertwined into the entirety. In fact, guitars could have been in a bigger role, because I was expecting clearer guitar parts now. Interesting detail is that front man Günther Theys is only singing nowadays, without the bass guitar, that is. Domingo Smets, who left the band after the Dim Carcosa album, is back and playing the bass.

As said before, melodies are all over the album. This is also a thing which may trouble some people. Keyboardist Davy Wouters is the essence of strong melodies. The melodies he creates do not dominate but are important part of the album all the way. A little detail must be told, however. The title song begins with a keyboard melody that brought smile to my face when I listened to the song first times. Keyboards have surprisingly big part in the album, and that may be quite hard to get used to for some fans. Due to strong melodies, the album sounds quite light. Darker tones are missing almost entirely. On the other hand, it is not a surprise after Dim Carcosa, so it does not actually matter. Production is excellent on Rvbicon. Especially the drum sound has been quite poor on the earlier Ancient Rites albums, even if some improvement was shown on Dim Carcosa. This time Walter van Cortenberg’s work with drums sounds exactly what is should have been since the first album.

Rvbicon does not reach the 90 point limit despite all the positive aspects. Or maybe because of that as the overall image is a little light. Some kind of deeper general tone is missing. Rvbicon is still an excellent album.

Rvbicon is the new album of Belgian Black Metal pioneers Ancient Rites, being their fifth full-length in total. What has changed in the five (!) years after the previous release? First of all, Ancient Rites has two new members, a keyboard-player and a man who handles the bass in stead of frontman Gunter Theys, who from now on does vocals exclusively. The band who started out with three members is now a seven-headed band! They’ve also found a new label: Seasons of mist. There are some more changes and progressions to be noticed.

First of all, the music. Where Dim carcosa was said to be quite melodic, Ancient Rites has chosen to be even more melodic. The music itself has some Power Metal influences, very melodic guitar riffs and strong drums. The keyboard supports the music and gives it a surplus value. Still, this remains Black Metal, in a melodic way of speaking. The fans of the early days may not like the new approach, but this album is a great representation of the bands capacities.

Then, Gunthers vocals have changed a bit too. Overall he demonstrates again that he’s a great singer, with a lower approach in comparison with Dim Carcosa. But of course he also does the clean vocals. Besides, the female vocals on some songs (Ypres and Thermopylae) are very impressive and suit great with the music!

Luckily, the themes and lyrics haven’t changed! They still deal about European history, heritage and religion, something Ancient Rites is known for. Templar is about religion wars, both sides wanting the same and thinking the same: ‘Allah akhbar! God wills it! Cross and half moon in total war’. The title song Rvbicon is about everyone who has to cross his Rubicon, which means to take an important decision, going to a point of no return. The phrase exists since Caesar crossed this river with his standing army, which was prohibited. Another famous phrase has been said then by Caesar: ‘Alea iacta est’ (‘the die is cast’). Ypres is a homage to the ones who have fallen in WW II. Every lyric is a small masterpiece, always introduced with notes, giving more information about the topics.

Comparing Rvbicon with previous albums, I have to say it’s a very strong album, on the same (high) level as Dim carcosa. This release was worth waiting five years! A very complete album that grows every time you listen to it. Ancient Rites have done it again, the grandmasters of Belgian metal!


This review is written for ODIUM: http://users.telenet.be/odium/

Ancient Rites are finally back, 5 years after their previous album Dim Carcosa. I must say the wait was quite long, due to line-up changes. Jan Yrlund was kicked out of the band and replaced by former guitarist Bart Vandereycken. More changes followed: Gunther gave up playing bass and old keyboardist Domingo returned for 5-string. Third guitarist, also a former member, Raf Jansen was recruited. What is the result of this big shuffle? I tell you: madhouse. Ancient Rites are epical and multi-layered in their 5th full-length, RVBICON.

The album opens with traditional Rites-intro, that travels from oriental crusade soundtrack to Dim Carcosa´s "the return" intro-atmosphere and launches the album with oriental beat. Very curious. I couldn´t stop smiling as the old intro visited there for few notes. Then we go full blast, "Templar" is here. Oriental melodic riff seems to be the biggest individual new thing in AR, which is nice, since the song is all about crusades, saracens, Saladin and knights templar. Gunther´s vocals again vary from evil grunts to clean melancholic appearance. I also notice one great improvement for this band: DRUM SOUND. No offence to one of my favourite bands, but while Fatherland´s drums were fucking horrible, Dim Carcosa´s improvement still sounded like big pile of blur. On this album, drums sounds fierce and good. No mess, no fuss, plain blast. Good. Ancient Rites combines aggressiveness and melody very well here. Everything is more wider and complex, yet I feel the approach is more direct and straightforward than with Dim Carcosa. Old guys are at it - with power!

"Mithras" is another standout track. I began laughing and felt über-nostalgic after hearing that tremolo bar diving in the middle of the song - Bart´s trademark from the second album, Blasfemia Eternal (He used to play lots of such stuff in first EP and album as well). "Thermopylae" is meant to relax our minds at bit before moving into the most fierce piece of the album, title track "Rvbicon". Pure black metal riffs with one of the greatest lyrics ever, plus atmosphere of the ancient times. Need I say more...

The latter half of the album, despite of it´s greatness, I must say, disappoints compared to the opening half. "Invictvs", "Galilean" and "Brabantia" are fine tracks, but maybe bit too soft and missing some highlights. "Ypres" is a masterpiece with it´s female vocals, and "Chervscan" gives me that war feeling I loved in the opening track too. Still, I must say the tracks I end up listening constantly are on that opening half. Templar, Mithras, Rvbicon. This album makes me feel like first 20 minutes would be total war, with last half an hour just being the aftermath of the battle. Then again, atmosphere and dark beauty are also strengths of this band nowadays.

All in all, I love this album. Ancient Rites have once again evolved with betraying their style. Having three guitars and seven members in the band has helped them for sure. Band has gone forward in every area. And despite of the fact, that I generally loathe technical skills, I must say this band knows how to use them. They never masturbate with their instruments, they play them skillfully and also manage to deliver the atmosphere of the ancient times with their music and lyrics. And that´s what Gunther wants. I can only pray I´ll see them soon live playing these tracks. Rvbicon is a natural step forward in Rites´ career. It combines the greatness of all previous albums, offering new things at the same time. ALL HAIL GUNTHER AND ANCIENT RITES! I hope they have a long life still ahed of them. If Caesar crossed the Rubicon, so can we.