After winning a JUNO in 2016, Anciients were officially anointed as the guiding lights for

progressive metal. However, keeping their momentum rocking and rolling proved to be no easy

feat. For too long, metalheads feared these mighty Canadians had gone dormant. The road was

threatened by many shadowy twists and turns, but after eight years of hermetic silence, Anciients

have returned with a new lineup and a new album that now stands as their heaviest, headiest

and most heartfelt offering.

Fans who’ve waited on bended knee for more fretboard heroics will not be disappointed by

Beyond the Reach of the Sun. Lead single “Melt the Crown” fires off not one, not two, but three

guitar solos. Each one comes with its own unique flavor, too, spanning from plaintive folk to

southern blues and psychedelic prog.

Of course, Anciients aren’t afraid to headbang. After a spell of acoustic fingerpicking, “Cloak of

the Vast and Black” reveals itself as a chugging riff monster. Conceptually, the album is just as

heavy. It tells the story of a society that’s enslaved by forces from another dimension. But at its

core, Beyond the Reach of the Sun is about perseverance. Just as the enslaved discover

spiritual knowledge by way of a cosmic entity, writing these songs also lead the band to uncover

new wellsprings of inspiration. “Is It Your God” concludes with an epiphany of synths that dazzle

like a lazer light show.

On Beyond the Reach of the Sun, Anciients climb to the summit of progressive metal.

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