...den Ahnen zum Grusse...

This album is absolutely amazing. From start to finish I love every bit of this album. These Germans have churned out some fucking excellent pagan metal. I can't believe this band is not well known, they certainly deserve some credit for this great album. Being from a town in Germany that was around before the horrid Christians took over, they certainly have pagan roots, which influence the entirety of this album.

This album takes you on a journey through the ancient black forests Germany and if you close your eyes, you really feel like you're there. It's hard to describe the awesomeness of this album through words, you really have to experience it for yourself. I do have to say that I really enjoy the acoustic parts and even the intro and outro are excellent. The album begins with an acoustic intro along with synthesized horns and flutes creating a great atmosphere, the intro really sets the pace for the rest of the album.

The vocals range from Black Metal screams to deep Death Metal growls, you will also find some clean vocals (mostly of the chanting style) which are done quite well. Music is described by the band as Heathen Thuringian Metal, which is a pretty accurate description seeing as the music combines heavy elements of Folk Metal, Epic Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal and even a bit of Thrash. There are keyboards as well but they remain mostly in the background and are not too intrusive. Generally I am not a fan of keyboards unless they are used just right. This album succeeds in that factor. In fact I rather enjoy the use of keys on this album.

Guitar work is also performed quite well, you won't find the same repetitive riffs played over and over again. There are quite a few acoustic parts to the album, mainly at the beginning of the tracks, again these passages are performed superbly and set the mood. The entire album is very atmospheric and flows together perfectly from song to song. They did a very good job choosing the order of the tracks on the album.

Any fan of Pagan Metal, Viking Metal or Melodic Black Metal should check this out, you wil not be disappointed.

This is a very interesting band and a very interesting album. I haven’t heard very many melodic black metal bands, so I didn’t really know what to expect when I found these guys. To top off the fact that they play melodic black metal, they have a ton of folk influence as well. They sort of remind me of a viking metal band such as Falkenbach or Moonsorrow. XIV Dark Centuries come from Germany and have been around since 1998.

I don’t think these guys are well known, even though they have 2 full-length albums and a demo, because they are from a pretty much unknown label CCP Records. Michel the lead singer has a pretty good range, as he can go from a black metal yell to a deep death metal growl and an occasional folk metal chant. This album …dem Ahnen zum Grusse… (Hail to our Ancestors) has a pretty raw production, which is what you would expect from a black metal band. They tend to use a lot of acoustic guitars which makes the songs sound somewhat atmospheric. I can’t really point out one particular track as great because they are all good, and the album flows together really nice. Their lyrics reflect old German folk tales and Heathen mystic forefathers.

XIV Dark Centuries aren’t really anything special such as an Ensiferum or Moonsorrow, but what they do they do right, and are very talented musicians. Keep an eye on these guys as if they stick around big things could happen for them, they certainly have the talent for it; and they come from a promising country full of kick ass bands.

Recommended for fans of black metal, folk metal or viking metal.

Orignally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com