Review – Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution
Despite the seemingly at-odds nature of chaotic death metal and meditative psychedelia, any metalhead worth their salt can point you to numerous examples of these two styles fraternizing. Considering the extensive works from acts like Cynic, Demilich, Blood Incantation, Pan.Thy.Monium, Diskord, and Tomb Mold, one could potentially make the argument that, considering that the style combo is a niche of a niche, the marriage of psych and death metal might be a bit played out at this point. Yet, as we barrel forward through time, it seems like more and more death metal acts are drawn to progressive and psychedelic rock clichés in their music.
The reasoning behind this is certainly multifaceted: a particularly bad acid trip will elicit the same abject terror and dread that extreme metal has always dealt in. In addition, any genre as potentially repetitive as death metal will lead to more ambitious creatives experimenting with elements proliferated from other avenues of musical interest. Most convincingly of all, however, death metal has always been a refuge for the burnouts and losers of the world. Regardless of whichever explanation you may subscribe to, the Massholes who make up Ancient Death are demonstrably born from the same framework that made records like Focus and Nespithe so mind-meltingly ambitious (drugs, the framework is drugs). Made up of former members from Garrotted and various other acts further into the underground, Ancient Death’s take on this sound was made apparent on 2022’s Sacred Vessel. One of the more intriguing EPs of that year, the group brought forward a contemplative and layered approach to death-doom, with clear nods to landmark oddball acts like Gorguts and Timeghoul.
The grounds for a stellar debut album were set, with a split single and a small 2024 demo leading, finally, to this year’s Ego Dissolution. Clearly drawing inspiration from the oft-reported phenomenon of ego death, this new record aims to conceptualize the divorce between the conscious and sub/unconscious that makes for a clearer understanding of one’s own place in existence. Now, for the hippie-crap haters in the crowd, this description will probably hit like a bright, neon sign proclaiming “FREE ASBESTOS HERE!” But, before you run to the loving arms of Deicide‘s Legion (good fuckin’ choice BTW), remember that, as with any great death metal record, I can’t understand a single thing that is being said by the vocalist. Beyond the occasionally decipherable yelps of “infinity” or “eons,” you could probably pretend “Breaking the Barriers of Hope” refers to the barriers of hope that keep Christians annoying or some shit. But, for the more acidically minded readers in the audience, a look into the lyrical content of these songs will most likely put some of the sonic ambitions of the group into perspective. The progressions of tracks depict a protagonist diving deep into their mind and finding “eternal truths” or something like that. I really couldn’t tell you much more than that; my experiences with psychedelics were few and far from helpful.
I can, however, tell you that the group’s prog-influenced side is far more upfront and personal here, as tracks like “Journey to the Inner Soul” and “Breathe – Transcend (Into the Glowing Streams of Forever)” regularly find themselves transitioning from weighty doom metal to darkly-tinted prog passages to headbanging, righteous death metal flurries, covering a large area of ground throughout these sonic stories of discovery-via-self-inflicted-psychic-torment. Each track glides smoothly through these different modes in a way that allows for an overarching atmosphere of darkly tinged hallucinogenics while also conveying a sense of movement and progression through the central concept. This newfound focus on concept and experimental song structures leaves some of the heft of Sacred Vessel on the table, perhaps, but I do feel like this new direction (which could be compared to Blood Incantation’s trajectory from Starspawn to Hidden History of the Human Race) was necessary for what the group intended on Ego Dissolution.
That said, the 8 songs on display here show a level of compositional detail and prowess that put them in the same league as their influences; the smooth transition between cosmic shredding and experimental metal ambiance a la Sigh at the end of “Echoing Chambers Within the Dismal Mind” shows this in full force. Multitudes of moments throughout the record resemble this standout, such as the transition between mid-paced contemplation and blistering frenzy on the back half of the title track and the entire 7-minute closer “Violet Light Decays,” which offers conclusions to the many musical and philosophical grounds tread throughout the run-time of Ego Dissolution. That final movement summarizes the many strains of prog metal covered throughout the record and concludes the complex mental trials of our protagonist with clarity and simplicity:
The violet light decays/Before my eyes/Yet this yearning lingers on/How can I learn to forgive and/Rethread what is forgotten?
Let the judgments of others/Leave your mind/And fill your heart with/Vessels of light
Live your life/And be who you’re meant to be
It’s surprisingly solid life advice from the genre most commonly associated with songs titled shit like “I Cum Blood” and “Slit Your Guts” (both incredible bangers in their own right), shining through clouds of hallucinated horrors like the sun rising up after an all-night battle with a funny piece of paper you ate with a Pokemon printed on it. This whole song comes as a cathartic closer to a record that’s inspiring in terms of songwriting and thematics. A pretty easy recommendation to all those in the TovH audience, especially if you have an affinity for Phish shirts and/or whippets.
4/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Ego Dissolution is out now through Profound Lore Records.
