ANCIENT RITES - BE/NL - LAGUZ - [2015] - CD review by NPH - Rate 9/10

ANCIENT RITES
COUNTRY: BELGIUM - HOLLAND
GENRE: BLACK/HISTORICAL/EPIC/HEATHEN METAL

ANCIENT RITES - "LAGUZ" - CD 2015

CD Tracklist:
01. Golden Path to Samarkand
02. Carthago Delenda Est
03. Under the Sign of Lagoz
04. Von Gott Entfernt (Bij Nacht en Ontij)
05. Apostata (Imperator Fidelis)
06. Legio V Alaudae (Fifth Larks Legion)
07. Mind Unconquered
08. Umbra Sumus (We are Shadows)
09. Frankenland
10. Fatum (Ill Fate/Noodlot)
Total playing time = 45m58s

- Recorded at Spacelab Studio, Grefrath, Germany.
- Produced by Christian “Moschus” Moos.
- Orchestration by Oliver Phillips.
- Mastered by Eroc at Eroc’s Mastering Ranch.

Recording Lineup:
Gunther Theys - Vocals
Erik Sprooten - Guitars
Domingo Smets - Guitars
Walter Van Cortenberg - Drums

ANCIENT RITES - LAGUZ* - CD - 2015 - Label: Massacre Records
Genre: Black/Historical/Epic/Heathen Metal

* LAGUZ - “Log-uhz” – Literally: “Water” or Ocean – Esoteric: Unconscious, Collective Memory
Rune of the unconscious context of becoming or the evolutionary process. Rune of Life’s longing for itself.

Black Metal pioneers Ancient Rites long awaited new release "LAGUZ" has been unleashed after an absence of almost 9 years! This long awaited album reveals the band with all their majesty and epic heathen splendour. Ancient Rites, for those who have not heard about this Belgian / Dutch legends, are a band set to put a mark in metal music, no matter with their creativity, ever-growing musical diversity as well as their strong and spontaneous bond with their legions of fans across the metal universe!

"LAGUZ" marks a new chapter on bands history! As always the band sound has been improved and embraced even more the long forgotten world theme, this through dark/historical lyrics and the most extreme epic music. 
Ancient Rites years of absence due to Gunther (founding singer and mastermind of A.R.) sickness in no way diminished the bands legendary presence in the metal world, with more than 3 decades of achieved victories and wisdom the band rises once again victorious!

"LAGUZ" takes you into a journey through the times of ancient civilisations. Testimonies of the rise and downfall of civilisations and individuals who come to life again when the heart and mind open to echoes from the past. Without a doubt "LAGUZ" is one of the most orchestral and philosophic albums of the band to the date, evoking era’s buried by time and dust, still this new album conserves the fierce quintessence of the Ancient Rites identity from it's beginning to it's end. A piece that will and without a doubt, please older or newer fans of the band!

Ancient Rites are back with one of their best pieces to the date, proof of that are majestic tracks like "Carthago Delenda Est", "Under the Sign of Lagoz", "Von Gott Entfernt (Bij Nacht en Ontij)", "Legio V Alaudae (Fifth Larks Legion)" or "Frankenland" that are some of the best songs ever forged by the band, this proves that the bands legacy is still being written down and there are still allot more legendary tales to be told upon the metal world by this band. I say... long live Ancient Rites!

With "LAGUZ" the band returns with one of their strongest and classical albums to the date! Epic, ferocious and majestic, this is another Metal jewel polished in all the right edges.
One of the most awaited returns for 2015 that in no way has disappointed the fans! "LAGUZ" is a colossal monument of Metal extremity of Epic proportions, uniting Ancient Rites hordes who stand again proudly as One... marching into the eternity of times while other empires fall to oblivion!


RüPä - NeKronos Promotion HELL


RATE: 9/10


Check out "Carthago Delenda Est" Audio clip @ http://youtu.be/AyJ_0aJ8Swk




MORE INFO ON ANCIENT RITES AT THIS LINKS:
OFFICIAL: http://www.ancientrites.be
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ancientrites
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/ancientrites
SPOTIFY: http://open.spotify.com/artist/0okB1HEJFLD98VkNzLtTBJ