And the Hordes Stood as One

At the time of this live recording, Ancient Rites were well into their second decade of existence and had just released Dim Carcosa, which remains one of their finest records to date. It perfectly summarizes the band's very own take on "pagan" metal: epic, melodic songs in which harsh black metal, (medieval) folk music and lush orchestrations blend seamlessly, with lyrics inspired by the history of continental Europe and Belgium/Flanders in particular.

For all their conceptual and musical ambitions, Ancient Rites remain firmly rooted in the underground scene of the 1980s and early 1990s - meaning, among other things, that nothing they do will ever sound polished in any way and the overall vibe or "energy" is just as important as the music itself. This is exactly what makes And The Hordes Stood As One sound refreshingly honest, but at times also cringeworthy.

Despite having written a significant amount of memorable songs over the years, it seems to be a challenge for (this incarnation of) the band to reproduce the majesty and conviction of the originals. The playing sounds crude, verging on sloppy sometimes, with keyboard parts that have been stripped down to the bare essence - mainly melodies, few chords and layers, often played with different sounds than how they were recorded - and a lot of rather bumpy mid-song transitions. Additionally, several times the end of a song seems to come almost as a surprise to the band, judging from the various half-hearted "rockstar" endings. Perhaps they were under-rehearsed, somewhat intoxicated or otherwise distracted on this particular night - we don't know. But add the rather unbalanced mix and undynamic, artificial-sounding drums, and the effect is that many songs lack the impact of the studio versions.

All analytical critique aside, the "metal vibe" is omnipresent here. And The Hordes Stood As One is a lively record, and it's obvious that both band and audience are enjoying themselves. Listen to Gunther Theys' excited shouts ("metal!") whenever a thrash beat or guitar solo kicks in, and it underlines the fact that Ancient Rites are not only about blackened seriousness or reliving Flemish history, but just as well about having a good time while making as much noise as possible. And that's fine - but it means that if you expect And The Hordes Stood As One to be as overwhelming as Dim Carcosa or Fatherland, you're in for a disappointment.

I bought this album for only four euros at EMP.de, and let me be perfectly clear on this: And the Hordes Stood as One is FAR too good to go for 4 euros!

ATHSAO is a live album, and the only AR album I have so far. The style of Ancient Rites is sort of hard to describe. It's rooted in black metal, but very epic and melodic and featuring plenty of clean, melodic vocals. Lead singer Gunther Theys has a quite special vocal style, but he grew on me after a few listens.

So, what's best about the album? Well, pretty much everything. The songs are masterfully written. The vocals are great and singalongable. The unclean vocals and blastbeats provide some awesome brutal parts, while the melodic lead guitar and keyboards provide some excellent soft parts.

But overall, Ancient Rites' performance on the album is just superb. Possibly the most energetic, enthusiastic live album I have heard. The production is great. Very clean, with all instruments coming through very clearly and nothing being drowned out. (The guitar sound could be heavier, but this is not a significant problem.)

Which details are bad about the album? None. Of course, it would be great if it was a double CD instead of a single, but 78 minutes is not a length you can complain about.

The best song on ATHSAO IMO is probably Exile. Other highlights are Victory or Valhalla, Aris and Mother Europe. But every song is great.

Overall an awesome album. I'll rate it 100% and advise everyone to check it out. Whether you are a fan of melodic metal or extreme metal, And the Hordes Stood as One just has it all.

1. The Return (3:12) - 9/10
2. Exile (Les litanies de Satan) (3:49) - 10/10
3. Victory or Valhalla (Last man standing) (4:16) - 10/10
4. Total misanthropia (4:36) - 8/10
5. Aris (5:50) - 10/10
6. And the horns called for war (4:20) - 10/10
7. North Sea (6:28) - 9/10
8. Blood of Christ (Mohammed wept) (4:02) - 7/10
9. Longing for the ancient kingdom (3:40) - 8/10
10. Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) (4:07) - 9/10
11. Ode to ancient Europa (4:08) - 10/10
12. Het Verdronken Land van Saeftinge (4:55) - 9/10
13. On golden fields (De leeuwen dansen) (6:07) - 10/10
14. Mother Europe (5:25) - 10/10
15. Evil prevails (4:54) - 8/10
16. Fatherland (8:13) - 9/10

Total time: 78:02.

If there was ever a perfect time for Ancient Rites to release to release a live album, then it would be now, following the release of DIM CARCOSA (second best album ever...see my review in the archives). For years, Ancient Rites have slugged it out through the underground and for the past few years have been utterly unstoppable. Without a doubt, Ancient Rites is the ultimate black metal band; melodic guitars with fast, tight riffs, and a pummelling battery of drums drives the music forward, while the keyboards round out the epic side of the 666% true metal sound. Mastermind Gunther Theys and co. exemplify everything that metal stands for.

What better place to record and Ancient Rites live show than in their home nation of Belgium? The participation of the crowd at the gig is absolutely electrifying, as is reflected in the bands performance, which is excellent, played with a geniune passion for metal. Recorded on June 14, 2002 at the Biebob club, AND THE HORNS STOOD AS ONE is a testament to Ancient Rites legacy. The sound quality is very good, still a professional soundboard job, but not as clearly produced as most live albums. This adds the slight edge that Ancient Rites’ sound requires, and highlights the truly live nature of this recording. The setlist does a fair job spanning the band’s career, centered most heavily on the band’s previous two albums, FATHERLAND, and DIM CARCOSA. 16 tracks presenting over 78 minutes of music is plenty of time for most live albums, but I’m a greedy Ancient Rites head and I wouldn’t mind a double CD release at all. Although the setlist contains just about every Ancient Rites song one could want, I’m slightly disappointed that “Dying in a Moment of Splendor,” from FATHERLAND wasn’t on there, nor were there enough old songs (“Satanic Rejoice,” anyone?). Obviously, the crowd was pleased nearly as much or more than I am judging by the crowd response and Gunther’s interaction.

In addition to a wonderful setlist, the packaging is absolutely beautifully done. The art, done by guitarist Jan Yrlund, perfectly fits the album, with the torches, pentagramed portculllis, and goat-headed figure fill out this very metal scene. In the booklet proper are some very nice photos of the band onstage, as well as multiple pages of background information and commentary on Gunther himself. Reading through the book, I am filled with respect for the scholarship and true metal nature of Gunther. Not only is he metal at heart, but he is quite intelligent and has a definite knack for European history and litterature. AND THE HORDES STOOD AS ONE is absolutely essential for every Ancient Rites fan, and those new to Ancient Rites might enjoy this one as well. All hail Gunther and Ancient Rites!

(originally written by me for www.metal-rules.com, March, 2003)