Archaic Oath - Determined to Death and Beyond

Archaic Oath is a black metal band from Belgium, who formed just last year and are already dropping their full-length debut album, “Determined to Death and Beyond.” 

And what a debut it is.  Considering the pedigree involved, however, it isn’t really a surprise.  The band is actually a duo composed of Lykormas (Rituals of the Dead Hand, Hemelbestormer) playing all the instruments and Arneriach (Marche Funèbre, Hail Spirit Noir) on vocals. 

The album’s overall sound is riff based but offers up a lot of melodic moments and a cold as ice atmosphere.  It’s far catchier that black metal usually is without being so melodic and atmospheric that it feels floaty or stretched too thin–the tone of the instruments a real meaty tone to them and there is more than enough speed and aggression to balance out its lighter moments. 

I do like how open the songs are too.  There is more than enough room to hold the often simple but majestic keys, killer guitar harmonies, and a rhythm section from hell—nothing every comes off as convoluted or messy. 

The album’s first song, “Above the Ice,” opens with ominous, ambient noise that sound like the foreboding incantations of something dark.  The blackened riffs soon kick into high gear as the song batters its way through with aggressive riffs and screams before the guitars settling into a harmony that compliments the heavier parts.    A few parts of the song are more down tempo, letting the atmosphere come through like cold north winds.  This is quite the storm, especially the riffs in the second half when the song returns to more rapid waters but no less epically cold.

Whereas the first song showcases the band’s ability to build up its songs into special moments, “Forest of Horrors,” dives right in into this bleak wooded area of doom.  The melodies are sullen and ridden with despair, but I’ll be damned if they aren’t catchy as hell, especially the chunky ones that rise and fall with the rhythm.  I like the quiet part at the 4:46 mark, the song exploring a different type of intensity but speaks volumes.

One of my favorites on the album has to be “Abysmal Ascent,” because it is a total banger.  It has so much chaos in it yet the melody cuts through with each while the drums and vocals keep it aggressive.  It’s all very groovy and has a wall of sound feel to it—this took over my headphones and transported me directly into this cold, dead world.  The clean vocals are a nice touch too, adding an ancient and, well, archaic feel to the song.  The final half is very impressive with the rolling snare drums and the guitars that stretch their melodic fingers across this musical world with a tight grip. 

The final song is a cover of Emperor’s “Ye Entrancemperium.”  It is brave for any band to take on such a legendary band, but I think the guys would be proud of this one.  It sounds similar enough to the song in a honorable way yet their own spin on it makes it feel right at home with the original songs,

Archaic Oath’s "Determined to Death and Beyond,” is a melodic/atmospheric black metal album that doesn’t really seem like it belongs in those genres…it’s just a damn good album that’s smartly written and engaging that just happens to have those elements without going overboard.

Rating:  Great