There are a few albums that deserve the honour to be held as points of reference. Some stand as landmarks in their genre, some mark a milestone paving the way for successful successors. Some don’t need either of that – they are just spectacular albums.
The fact these are the opening lines of a review should give you a clue we are in fact talking of such an album (this is just bad meta-reviewing, never mind).
Rvbicon is one of those albums. From start to finish, it’s a testament to what a symphonic (black) metal album should be like. Plain and simple. No flaws, no exaggerations. No false notes (well of course, literally too). Sure, this is but a non-black metal lover’s point of view. But good symphonic oeuvres always catch my ear, and it’s no overemphasis to tag Rvbicon as one of the best in the field.
An arabic intro leading to a middle eastern-themed song with a mighty chorus, followed by another arabic-styled number (with a cool solo, just by the way): here are the album’s pillars. By the time you get to the end of Mithras, the third song, you start getting the idea you might be dealing with something really big, ready to exceed your expectations. The quiet piano intro to Thermopylae soon leaves way to a more symphonic opening, soon to be followed by speedy drums and vocals – all contributing to another great piece.
Speaking of vocals, one nice thing about Rvbicon is that they’re all clean. No blackish grunts or growls find place in here. And one of Ancient Rites‘ trademarks is also present: some bits of the lyrics are sung in other languages than English (ranging from German to… Middle Dutch, yes folks). And even more such things could be said that you can find in “official” reviews anyway – suffice it to briefly mention here that the album’s a concept in that all songs deal with subjects taken from history, with a varying setting in time and place. Which sure adds to the epic scent of the album.
Beside the interesting lyrics (well written and featuring historical quotes) and the good guitar work, lots of the excellency of the album obviously rests on the very fitting orchestration to be heard all through it. A good example may be the short cello interlude in the middle of Ypres, abruptly followed by a very strong guitar-bass-drums’ stop&go. Other good examples would be the choruses in Mithras and Rvbicon.
The songwriting is also excellent, and it retains some echoes of the band’s previous albums (another of their trademarks, somewhat less evident here though). Considering I was never a fan of the genre (perhaps of its symphonic subgenre, but that’s it), the degree to which this album stands out in my collection ought to say much about its value to me. And it might as well do a nice suggestion for those of you who happen to like this kind of music. Which is to say: powerful, symphonic, varied, clever (as to songwriting in general and lyrics in particular), in a word: excellently conceived and brought out.
THUS SPAKE THE CENNSOR: If a ride across historical battlefields (both actual and “moral”, see Galilean for example) through the means of suitable music is what you’re looking for – or atleast something you wouldn’t mind taking – let these ten tracks accompany you. From middle-east to the Lowlands (Ypres, Brabantia), from the glory of rome (Rvbicon, Invictvs) to the abode of one of its fiercest foes (Chervscan), with a visit to classical Greece (Thermopylae) in between, you will certainly not regret embarking on yet another journey – the grandest, so far – with Ancient Rites. 9/10
