ANCIIENTS & Literature in Prog Rock

Plus Dragonbreed & Clayton Notestine’s Mörk Borg Metal Music Quote

Vancouver metal band ANCIIENTS have announced they are releasing their third album Beyond the Reach of the Sun on August 30th. The first single, “Melt the Crown,” is already available for streaming and it is killer:

The track listing for the record should provide some fantasy RPG inspiration with evocative song titles like “Forbidden Sanctuary,” “Cloak Of The Vast And Black,” and “Celestial Tyrant.”

The band has been compared to Opeth, and although I think they would appeal to most Opeth fans, ANCIIENTS have their own sound and style. I was turned onto them through their Heart of Oak debut album, which I highly recommend.

I can’t wait for the new record. You can preorder Beyond the Reach of the Sun from the ANCIIENTS website and Bandcamp page.

Literature in Prog Rock

Ricardo Otero Córdoba has published an essay titled “Strange Worlds: Narrative & Literature in Progressive Rock” in his The Adventurous Axolotl newsletter. It includes commentary on Critical Hit Parader favorites such as ELP, Rush, Zappa, Jethro Tull, and The Alan Parsons Project.

Thanks to Ricardo for sharing the essay with me, and I encourage folks to subscribe to his newsletter.

Clayton Notestine’s Mörk Borg Metal Music Quote

In a recent Explorers Design post, Clayton Notestine provided a deep dive analysis into Mörk Borg’s layout and graphic design. It included a quote about metal music that I thought was right on the money:

“Despite its chaotic death metal energy, Mörk Borg is a perfect example of fundamental design principles being used to tremendous effect. This is how metal relates to music, by the way. Most of its sub-genres create surprisingly sophisticated compositions compared to other music genres…”

I find Explorers Design to be a treasure trove of design information, and I think Clayton delivers on the site’s tagline:

“Explore design in tabletop rpgs. Delve deeper into games. Hone your craft. Design better games.”

Dragonbreed’s Necrohedron

Fantasy author Jay Requard’s Pondering the Orb Youtube series documents his “quest for the best in Riffs, Synths, and Fantasy Books.” In a recent episode, he recommended the melodic death metal band Dragonbreed and plays their song “The Undying.” What might be of particular interest to Critical Hit Parader readers is the wicked cover art for their album Necrohedron by artist Kris Verwimp, who also provided the lyrics for the record:

I love the whole concept of a “Necrohedron.” You can watch the full Pondering the Orb episode here:

H/T to Kevin Beckett’s Just the Axe, Ma’am newsletter for pointing me to Pondering the Orb video.