Ancient was originally a solo project of guitarist and composer Aphazel, started in Norway in 1992. Aphazel quickly developed his project of atmospheric and dark black metal into a full band with Grimm as vocalist / drummer. The two released the "Eerily Howling Winds" demo and the "Det Glemte Riket" 7" in the years 1993 and 1994, and the band quickly established a strong following in the underground black metal scene worldwide. Among others, Listenable Records / Osmose noticed the potential of this band and released Ancient's debut album "Svartalvheim". This album was bound to be one of the most sold and appreciated of this musical genre and is today considered a black metal classic. The mini album "Trolltaar" followed a year later and ended up being the last release with Grimm, who went into other directions musically.
Aphazel moved to the USA and recruited Lord Kaiaphas as the new vocalist. Impressed by his performance in the bands Grand Belial's Key and Thokk, Aphazel was convinced of Lord Kaiaphas' talent and value for the band. An extensive contract with Metal Blade Records was signed and in 1996, together with Kimberly Goss and Kjetil, they released "The Cainian Chronicle", an album filled with big guitars and great atmospheres, followed by a European tour and the video "Lilith's Embrace". This album also went on to become a classic of the genre.
In 1997 a few line-up changes took place and the album "Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends" was released, introducing guitarist / keyboardist Jesus Christ! A huge world tour followed, and afterwards, tired of life in the USA, Aphazel decided to move back to Europe, this time Italy, after having met female vocalist Deadly Kristin.
1999 brought "The Halls Of Eternity", a return to a heavier sound with Aphazel as the band's new vocalist, and Dhilorz was recruited on bass. Some touring followed including the band's first tour through Scandinavia. In 2000 Ancient did an impressive performance at the Wacken festival with new drummer Grom, receiving an excellent feedback from the press, record company and fans.
Recorded at Andy La Rocque's studio Los Angered Recording and mastered at Sterling Sound, the band had created not just a masterpiece, but also an album with a production far better than the previous releases."Proxima Centauri", an album showing a great leap forward for the band in all ways possible, showed a style more aggressive, heavier, more technical and complete than the Ancient from the past.
A long tour followed and Ancient visited new places like Mexico and Eastern Europe, and was proud to be the first black metal band to ever play in countries like Israel, Bulgaria and Romania (by the famous region of Transylvania). After this, another line-up change took place, with Deadly Kristin leaving the band due to practical reasons.
Now, 2 ½ years have passed since the release of "Proxima Centauri", and finally "Night visit" arrives. This time with more input from all band members, the album shows several new elements in the band's sound, resulting in an album not only well performed and composed, but also in a great evolution for the band. Including the promo video for the title track (a story about a girl assailed by the dead), and a guest appearance of Lord Kaiaphas on the track "Rape The Children Of Abel", this is the release all Ancient fans have been waiting for. "Night visit" has been gaining a lot of interest from newer fans. It is an aggressive album, with great power and heaviness, yet with a good amount of melodic and atmospheric parts which make up the Ancient sound in 2004. As always, the band offers a good variety of songs, which results in an album hard to get bored of quickly. Ancient now plans to take the underworld by storm again with extensive touring and impressive live shows around every corner of the globe. Beware their Visit!
Source: Label Officiel: http://www.metalblade.com
