Archaic Oath is a new but veteran Belgian duo comprised of instrumentalist Lykormas (Hemelbestormer, Lhaäd, Rituals of the Dead Hand, Wolven, ex-Entartung, ex-Gorath) and vocalist Arneriach (Astovidatu, Bleak Cold Irrelevance, Eternal Blood of War, Hail Spirit Noir).
They apparently met way back in 2005, but recently decided to come together and form a project to pay homage to 90s melodic black/death metal, such as (a less symphonic) Emperor, Gates of Ishtar, Embracing, Naglfar, Dissection, Unanimated, etc.
And based on this solid debut, I’d say mission accomplished, as the 45 minutes contained on Determined to Death and Beyond absolutely nail that era and sound. If you need actual, immediate proof, go to the album’s closing track, a ripping, spot-on cover of Emperor’s “Ye Entrancemperium”; when it started, I actually thought my playlist had switched to my recent Emperor concert playlist.
Opener “Above the Ice” gets the ball rolling, and makes no bones about the duo’s desired sound – they are not reinventing the wheel at all, and they know it. Semi-frosty, but razor-sharp melodic riffs, harsh, rasped vocals, some light synths – it’s all here, and the second track, “Wrath of the Witches”, leans into it even more, especially the latter Emperor song structures.
“Forest of Horrors” dips more into a melodic death metal pace and structure, complete with an acoustic bridge before an impressive blast beat and riff, before the mid-album instrumental “Requiem for a Doomed Soul” gives you a little break.
The back end of the album kicks off with “Abysmal Ascent”, complete with some Old Mans Child (another possible influence here) / The Pagan Prosperity styled clean vocals, the slower “Path of Penitence”, and ultra spot on Dissection-ish “Into the Temple of Light”, by now, you kinda know what Archaic Oath are doing, where you can sort of predict time changes and signatures, but its still an enjoyable, nostalgic album that nails its chosen style.
