The truth is Ancient Rites aren't stupid. After more than a
decade making metal, they've decided to release a live record
at one of the peaks of the band's popularity, after having released
two good records: "Fatherland" and "Dim Carcosa".
To top it all, and following the lyrics of their hymn-song "Fatherland",
they've gone to the land of their fathers, that is, Belgium,
where their most die-hard fans should be, to make the recording.
Ancient Rites have always been a band classified as what we
call extreme metal, although they have managed to separate their
sound from the rest of the bands in this category by mixing
black with other elements of the most traditional and melodic
metal, thus creating quite a personal proposal, which is also
very attractive for the public.
The truth is you can't ask very much more from a live record
starred by Ancient Rites, since they have achieved a great
sound where each instrument sounds totally balanced as regards
the rest. They've also managed to transmit on cd one of the
most important elements of a live show: all the energy and
feeling created between the band and the audience.
The cd's tracklist is also a great selection. We can find
songs from their beginnings, such as "Total Misanthropia",
"Evil Prevails", "Blood of Christ", "Het
Verdronken Land Van (Saeftinge)", completing the core
of the show, which is based on their latest releases, "Fatherland"
and "Dim Carcosa".
We can identify the best moment of the show at the end, where
"Mother Europe" converges with the encores "Evil
Prevails" and "Fatherland", quite an epic way
to end a live show.
In summary, "And the hordes stood as one" is a
very good compilation for those who don't know the band and
a good record supplement for the band's die-hard fans.
Ivan Cateura
Translation: Fausto Navarro http://faustonavarro.com
|
